TRANSPORT

Accident and Emergency Departments: High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect and change in response times that HS2 construction traffic will have on the accident and emergency ambulance routes along the length of the London to Birmingham route of HS2; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: As part of the Transport Assessment being prepared for the Hybrid Bill by HS2 Ltd, the effects on traffic flow during the construction of HS2 Phase One are being assessed. These effects and proposed mitigation will be reported as part of the Environmental Statement to be submitted with the Hybrid Bill.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

Kwasi Kwarteng: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's plans are for the implementation of any control measures on carbon emissions proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Simon Burns: At this stage the Government do not have any specific plans on the implementation of control measures for emissions agreed in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Government intend to work through ICAO to secure an ambitious global agreement to address international aviation emissions at this year's General Assembly (24 September-4 October).
	It would be premature to develop plans for implementation on the CO2 standard (due to be adopted at the 2016 General Assembly) and on market based measures (due to be discussed at this year's Assembly) given the uncertainty on a number of design elements. The Government are, however, actively involved in the development of these measures and are taking account of the feasibility and practicality of implementation.

Bus Services: Redditch

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the takeover of bus services by the Diamond Bus Company in Redditch; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on bus service quality of restrictions placed by the Office of Fair Trading on that company.

Norman Baker: This question refers to the completed acquisition by The Diamond Bus Company Limited ('Diamond') of the bus business of FirstGroup plc ('FirstGroup') in Redditch and Kidderminster, which the Office of Fair Trading ('OFT) is reviewing using its merger powers under the Enterprise Act 2002.
	The purpose of an OFT merger investigation such as this is to consider whether the merger might, for example, cause price rises or reduce quality for consumers, as a result of a reduction in competition in the affected areas. The OFT is an independent regulator, and the Department for Transport has therefore made no assessment of the OFT's actions regarding this case.
	It is my understanding that there are 'Initial Undertakings' in place, which apply during the lifetime of the OFT investigation and are imposed according to usual OFT practice in cases where mergers have already taken place, for the purposes of ensuring that remedies can be implemented at the end of the investigation, should they be necessary to address any competition concerns.
	Beyond that, there are no restrictions imposed on the quality of bus services in Redditch, and the OFT's investigation is not preventing any investment in local bus services or other improvements.
	Moreover, the OFT has granted derogations (altering the Initial Undertakings) to allow certain changes to the Diamond and ex-FirstGroup services at the request of Diamond. The derogations, details of which are available on the OFT website, have provided the company with the flexibility it requires to ensure quality of service. In particular, the OFT has allowed Diamond to allocate dedicated buses to routes 57 and 58 (two of the most utilised bus services in Redditch) so as to ensure that the required service timetables and frequencies on such routes can be met.

East Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to consult passengers and other key stakeholders on the tendering of the East Coast mainline rail franchise.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport (DFT) is engaging with key stakeholders in developing the specification for the InterCity East Coast franchise. A public consultation in respect of the East Coast refranchise was carried out by DFT from June-September 2012. A response to the 2012 consultation will be published later this summer which will set out any refinements of policy from the 2012 consultation. This may include any Brown recommendations which are to be adopted in the franchise.

East Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any new franchisee of the East Coast mainline will be required to make a contribution to the costs of the planned infrastructure upgrade to that line scheduled to take place between 2014 and 2019.

Simon Burns: The costs of the planned infrastructure upgrade work on the East Coast mainline between 2014 and 2019 will be borne by Network Rail as part of the regulatory Control Period 5 settlement.

East Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether any new franchisee of the East Coast mainline will be required to make a contribution to the costs of the rolling stock upgrade scheduled to be delivered by May 2019.

Simon Burns: The cost of the provision of the new rolling stock will be borne by the train service provider (Agility Trains). The train operating company will in turn pay the train service provider to use the rolling stock.

East Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost of refranchising the East Coast mainline to date.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport has made an appropriate assessment of the cost of re-franchising the East Coast mainline and produced a project budget from this assessment.
	The East Coast project team is currently tracking progress against the project budget.
	Since the announcement of the new timetable for rail franchising on 26 March the Department has spent £236,500 (in addition to internal costs) on external advisors providing technical, legal and financial expertise to the East Coast mainline project team.

East Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to monitor the performance of the new franchisee of the East Coast mainline.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently considering appropriate performance measures as part of its development of the specification for the new InterCity East Coast franchise.

East Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether state-owned companies will be entitled to submit a bid for the East Coast Main Line franchise.

Simon Burns: The Department's rail franchising competitions must be run in accordance with EU and UK law, including obligations to ensure equal treatment and non discrimination. As such, all potential operators, including state owned companies, will be eligible to apply provided they meet the Department's pre-qualification criteria. However, section 25 of the Railways Act 1993 would preclude certain public sector operators (including DOR and East Coast) from bidding to become a franchisee.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans formally to respond to the findings of the National Audit Office report, High Speed 2: a review of early programme preparation, published on 16 May 2013.

Simon Burns: The National Audit Office report will inform a hearing on the High Speed 2 programme by the Committee for Public Accounts. The Government will formally respond to the Committee following the hearing, outlining any agreed actions in response to the Committee's examination of the programme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to avoid the loss of areas of ancient woodland during the construction of High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: This Department, and HS2 Ltd, take their obligation to conserve ancient woodlands very seriously. However, a scheme of this magnitude can not be built without some impacts. By careful design of the route and strict controls during construction we are seeking to reduce, as far as practicable, impacts on ancient woodlands. For example, the provision of a tunnel at Long Itchington avoids the ancient wood here and a retained cutting minimises land take at South Cubbington Wood.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on measures to minimise the impact on ancient woodland of the construction of High Speed 2; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Officials liaise on a regular basis with their counterparts at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to better understand the implications of the HS2 scheme on the environment and ways to mitigate these effects.

Railways: Fares

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration his fares and ticketing review will give to the future of regulated rail fares.

Norman Baker: The fares and ticketing review is looking at a range of issues around fares regulation.
	We expect to publish the findings of the review early this summer.

Railways: Franchises

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria his Department uses to determine which contracts for passenger rail franchises are extended and which are brought forward to refranchise.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport announced the timetable for the future of rail franchising on 26 March. This timetable sees all rail franchises being re-tendered over the next eight years. In setting this timetable we took into consideration the capacity of the market to bid as well as the resourcing burden on the Department in managing the re-franchising processes, while ensuring that no more than 3 to 4 franchises are re-let at the same time in line with the Brown report. The granting of direct awards and contractual extensions are being used to facilitate the delivery of this staggered programme.

Sign Language

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures his Department has in place to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) public transport employees and (b) the agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible.

Norman Baker: All professional bus and coach drivers are required to hold a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) and to carry out 35 hours of periodic training every five years. Although disability awareness training is not compulsory, I have recently written to operators to encourage uptake and it is estimated that approximately 75 per cent of all bus and coach drivers have completed some form of this training.
	On the railways, while the Department for Transport requires each licensed operator to have a Disabled Persons Protection Policy and all passenger facing staff and managers to attend disability awareness training which may cover British Sign Language, there is no mandatory requirement for training to do so.
	The Driving Standards Agency allows theory test candidates who are deaf or hard of hearing to request the use of British Sign Language (BSL) images or a sign language interpreter at no extra cost. Deaf or hard of hearing candidates making telephone bookings are able to use text relay.
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency currently has BSL trained staff in some local offices in addition to a number of BSL videos that have been made available on You Tube for deaf customers.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department receives any financial or non-financial benefit from its telephone providers for telephone lines that (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible operate, including but not limited to (i) a share of call revenue, (ii) a reduction in the Department's telephone bill or tariff and (iii) telephony services for free or at a reduced price.

Norman Baker: The telephone services operated by the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies are competitively tendered to ensure best value for money for fee payers and tax payers, which will include appropriate discounts and cost reductions. These are included within the contract price and are not separately identifiable.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c)  taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Norman Baker: The table below sets out the ministerial travel budget for the different modes of transport as requested, for 2013-14. The budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16 have not yet been agreed.
	
		
			 Mode of Transport Budget (£) 
			 Government Car Service 220,000 
			 Air Travel 17,000 
			 Rail Travel 10,300 
			 Taxis 2,900 
			 Other (inc private hire) 700

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

Norman Baker: Information on Departmental spend on the Government Car Service is published in the annual written Ministerial Statement, details of which can be found within the libraries of both Houses.
	2010/11:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194
	2011/12:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216
	2012/13 will be published in due course.
	The table below details expenditure by other modes of transport for each financial year of the current parliament. Prior to 2012, the Department did not record expenditure on private hire vehicles, taxis, rail, aviation and other means separately. As a result, the only figures available for those years are those for expenses incurred for travel within the UK and expenses incurred on overseas travel.
	It is important to note that these figures represent spend for the Ministerial cost-centres and so include not just the travel costs of Ministers but also the costs incurred by staff accompanying Ministers, as these are not recorded separately.
	
		
			 Mode of Transport 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14(1) Total 
			 Travel Expenses UK 22,759 32,363 — — 55,122 
			 Travel Exp Overseas 7,708 23,337 — — 31,045 
			 Air Travel — — 41,088 93 55,096 
			 Rail Travel — — 33,629 1,327 34,956 
			 Taxis — — 2,029 186 2,215 
			 Other (inc Private Hire) — — 2,135 106 2,241 
			 Total 30,467 55,700 78,881 1,712 180,675 
			 (1) April and May.

West Coast Railway Line

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Virgin Trains has paid in premiums to the Government in respect of the West Coast Main Line in each year since the company was awarded the franchise.

Norman Baker: The West Coast Main Line franchise award commenced 9th March 1997 and was awarded to Virgin Rail Group trading as West Coast Trains Ltd.
	Subsidies / (Premiums) paid since inception is detailed below:
	
		
			 Virgin West Coast: £ 
			 1996/97 £5.8m 
			 1997/98 £76.8m 
			 1998/99 £70.2m 
			 1999/00 £59.1 m 
			 2000/01 £58m 
			 2001/02 £195.9m 
			 2002/03 £199m 
			 2003/04 £289.5m 
			 2004/05 £126m 
			 2005/06 £47.3m 
			 2006/07 £91m 
			 2007/08 £104.7m 
			 2008/09 £289.8m 
			 2009/10 £(18m) 
			 2010/11 £ (116.4m) 
			 2011/12 £ (155.9m) 
			 2012/13 £ (101.4m) 
		
	
	Subsidies are payment by either the Strategic Rail Authority or the Department for Transport to the train operating company while (Premiums) are payments by train operating company to SRA/DfT. The amounts quoted above are inclusive of all payments and receipts.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the monetary value is of (a) fines and (b) civil recovery orders imposed on (i) individuals and (ii) companies by the courts as a result of Serious Fraud Office investigations which led to convictions in 2012-13.

Oliver Heald: No fines were imposed on individuals or companies as a result of Serious Fraud Office investigations that led to convictions in 2012-13.
	Two civil recovery orders were obtained by the Serious Fraud Office in 2012-13. The first was against a company in the value of £1,895,435.00 and the second was against the estate of a deceased person in the value of £64,417.22. That person had been prosecuted by the SFO and convicted.

Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the average prison sentence per conviction was of offenders receiving sentences of imprisonment following a prosecution by the Serious Fraud Office which led to a conviction in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the previous five years.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the SFO show that the average sentence of imprisonment per conviction was (a) 78.17 months for 2012-13 and (b) 50.16 months for 2011-12; 36 months for 2010-11; 36.45 months for 2009-10; 35.87 months for 2008-9 and 40.58 months for 2007-8.
	These figures above have been calculated using the year the conviction was recorded rather than the year the sentence was imposed where these are different; two defendants convicted in 2012-13 have not yet been sentenced. Both immediate and suspended sentences of imprisonment have been included in the figures provided.

Social Networking: Incitement

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on the Government's approach to tackling abusive or libellous communications sent through social media.

Dominic Grieve: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Andrew Griffiths) on 4 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1378-80).

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti social behaviour orders were issued (a) nationally and (b) in Essex in each of the last five years; and what the rate of breaching of anti social behaviour orders was (i) nationally and (ii) in Essex in each such year.

Jeremy Browne: The number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued by all courts in England and Wales, and by courts in the Essex police force area in each year between 2007 and 2011 (the latest year for which data are currently available) can be viewed in the table.
	ASBOs can be breached more than once and in more than one year. Because of this, current ASBO breach rates are calculated by considering the total number of ASBOs issued in a particular geographical area between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2011, and the total number of such orders which have been breached at least once over the same period of time.
	Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2011, a total of 57.3 % of the ASBOs issued at all courts in England and Wales were breached at least once during that period of time. Over the same time period, 56.9 % of the ASBOs issued at all courts in the Essex police force area were breached at least once.
	ASBO data for 2012 are scheduled for publication in October 2013.
	
		
			 Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued at all courts(1) in England and Wales and the Essex police force area, as reported to the Ministry of Justice(2) by the Court Service, 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011 
			 Area 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Essex 28 15 20 9 29 
			 England and Wales 2,299 2,027 1,671 1,664 1,414 
			 (1) Includes ASBOs issued on application by magistrates courts acting in their civil capacity and county courts, which became available on 1 April 1999 and ASBOs made following conviction for a relevant criminal offence at the Crown Court and at magistrates courts (acting in their criminal capacity), which became available on 2 December 2002. (2) Prior to the creation of the Ministry of Justice on 9 May 2007, numbers of ASBOs issued were reported to Home Office by the Court Service. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Prepared by Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Asylum: Self-employed

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to allowing failed asylum seekers who are unable to return to their home country to take up work on a self-employed basis.

Mark Harper: Asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers are not permitted access to self-employment to avoid asylum being used as a route to circumvent controls on economic migration, and to protect the resident labour market.

Asylum: Self-employed

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration she has given to allowing asylum seekers to take on work on a self-employed basis while they are waiting for a decision on their case.

Mark Harper: Asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers are not permitted access to self-employment to avoid asylum being used as a route to circumvent controls on economic migration, and to protect the resident labour market.

Asylum: Voluntary Work

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review her Department's guidelines to make it clear that asylum seekers are entitled to volunteer for work with public sector organisations.

Mark Harper: We are currently reviewing whether to extend access to volunteering for asylum seekers beyond registered charities and voluntary organisations. If any changes to guidance are necessary they will be made in due course.

Electronic Surveillance: Admissibility of Evidence

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish any assessment that her Department has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned into the use of intercept evidence in criminal trials since the completion of the Privy Council review of intercept as evidence in February 2008.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 3 June 2013
	A written ministerial statement of 10 December 2009, Official Report, column 31WS, reported the conclusions of the work programme set in train following the Privy Council Review of 2008. A report of further scoping analysis was placed in the House Libraries in March 2010.
	As announced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 26 January 2011 the Government are reviewing the benefits, costs and risks of enabling the use of intercept material as evidence in criminal trials under the guidance of the cross-party group of Privy Counsellors. We will report back to the House in due course.

Fingerprints

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place for the procurement of the management of the national fingerprint database; and when it will take place.

Damian Green: The contract for the national fingerprint database for policing (IDENT1) is due to expire on 31 March 2015. A project has been commissioned by the Home Office and the police which will secure short-term continuity of service, to provide operational and maintenance support for the IDENT1 service, by March 2015. This interim arrangement will allow sufficient time to develop the new user and business requirements for a long-term successor service that serves the wider law enforcement community.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the proportion of victims of human trafficking who entered the country by (a) legal means and (b) illegal means; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: As of 16 May 2013, of the 1,186 trafficking cases referred into the National Referral Mechanism in 2012, 429 have been conclusively identified as victims. Of these 60% are UK or EEA nationals who have freedom of movement and less than 1% are nationals of countries that do not require a visa for general visitor purposes. Assessments of non-EEA entry routes are continuing; however, it is understood that 10% are thought to have entered on a UK visa and in most of the remaining cases the person is suspected of using an alias, entering clandestinely concealed in a commercial or private vehicle or entering on forged or counterfeit identity or travel document.
	These data are based on Home Office and Serious Organised Crime Agency management information and as such have not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. They are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Legal Opinion: Treaties

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure requests made under mutual legal assistance treaties are delivered expediently to the United States of America; when such measures were introduced; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The current UK-US mutual legal assistance (MLA) treaty entered into force in February 2010. Article 4 of the treaty provides for how MLA requests and related communications are transmitted between the respective central authorities. We are seeking to introduce secure e-mail links between the UK central authority in the Home Office (which is the central authority for all incoming MLA requests for England and Wales and Northern Ireland) and the Office of International Affairs (the central authority for the US) in order to expedite the sending and receiving of MLA requests between the UK and the US.

Licensed Premises

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol licences have been issued to premises in England and Wales with a rateable value of over (a) £1,000,000 and (b) £2,000,000 in each year since 2007.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office does not collect this information. Its alcohol licensing statistics collection covers numbers of premises licences by fee band (based on non-domestic rateable value). The highest of these fee bands includes premises with rateable values of at least £125,001.
	The most recent Home Office alcohol licensing statistics are published in ‘Alcohol and Late Night Refreshment Licensing, England and Wales 2011-12', which is published on-line at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-and-late-night-refreshment-licensing-england-and-wales-2011-12

Licensed Premises

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many retailers have had their licences (a) suspended and (b) removed as a result of illegal sales, where the duty and VAT had not been paid, of (i) alcohol and (ii) tobacco in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Statistical Bulletin collects the number of licences revoked, but does not indicate why they were revoked. Licences may be revoked following a review by the licensing authority for a number of reasons.
	The latest available information shows the number of premises licences, club premises certificates and personal licences surrendered, lapsed, revoked, forfeited, suspended or withdrawn for England and Wales licensing authorities between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2010 and 2011-12. These figures can be seen within the tables.
	The Home Office does not deal with tobacco policy. This should be referred to the Department of Health.
	
		
			 Table 1: Premises licences surrendered, lapsed, suspended by a court, closure notice, England and Wales, 2006-07 to 2009-10 and 2011-12 
			 Financial year Surrendered(1) Lapsed(2) Suspended by a court(3) Closure notice(4) 
			 2006-07 2,630 232 70 * 
			 2007-08 3,786 423 18 44 
			 2008-09 4,527 591 12 54 
			 2009-10 4,902 836 2 100 
			 2011-12(5) 4,386 493 1 92 
			 ‘*’ = Unknown (not collected in 2006-07). (1) Where a Premises Licence is surrendered under Section 28 of the Licensing Act 2003. (2) Where a Premises Licence has lapsed due to the death, incapacity, insolvency etc. of the licence holder, as set out under Section 27 of the Licensing Act 2003. Excludes instances where a Premises Licence was in effect for a limited period, but the period has since expired (e.g. one-off events). (3) Where a Premises Licence is suspended by a court, under Section 147B(1)of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. (4). Where a premises is prohibited from selling alcohol for 48 hours following a closure notice under S.169A. (5) Based only on the 336 out of 350 licensing authorities who provided data. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Club premises certificates surrendered, lapsed, withdrawn, England and Wales, 2006-07 to 2009-10 and 2011-12 
			 Financial year Surrendered(1) Lapsed(2) Withdrawn(3) 
			 2006-07(2) 210 2 13 
			 2007-08 255 7 13 
			 2008-09 317 8 19 
			 2009-10 323 7 21 
			 2011-12(4) 272 26 12 
			 (1) Where a Club Premises Certificate is surrendered under Section 81 (3) of the Licensing Act 2003. (2) Where a Club Premises Certificates has lapsed because it had effect for a limited period, but that period has since expired. (3) Where a Club Premises Certificate is withdrawn under Section 90 of the Licensing Act 2003. (4) Based only on the 332 out of 350 licensing authorities who provided data. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Personal licences surrendered, revoked, forfeited, suspended by a court, England and Wales, 2006-07 to 2009-10 and 2011-12 
			 Financial year Surrendered(1) Revoked(2) Forfeited(3) Suspended by a court(4) 
			 2006-07 192 11 13 13 
			 2007-08 176 21 8 15 
			 2008-09 317 9 6 18 
			 2009-10 251 22 12 10 
			 2011-12(5) 258 25 8 14 
			 (1) Where a Personal Licence: is surrendered under Section 116 of the Licensing Act 2003. (2) Where a Personal Licence is revoked under Section 124 of the Licensing Act 2003. (3) Where a Premises Licence has been forfeited following a court order under Section 129 of the Licensing Act 2003 in the time period specified (and where that order has not been suspended, pending an appeal under Sections 129(4) or 130 of the Licensing Act 2003). (4) Where a Personal Licence is suspended following a court order under Section 129 of the Licensing Act 2003 in the time period specified (and where that order has not been suspended, pending an appeal under Sections 129(4) or 130 of the Licensing Act 2003). (5) Based only on the 336 out of 350 licensing authorities who provided data.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the right hon. Member for Warley (Mr Spellar) can expect to receive a reply from her Department to his letter of 18 April regarding the case of Ms. Mangena.

Mark Harper: The Home Office wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 June 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 17 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton (Sir Gerald Kaufman) with regard to Mr M Shahidul Alam.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 June 2013.

Offences against Children: Internet

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the incidence of child abuse images on the internet.

Jeremy Browne: The Government take very seriously the issue of tackling child abuse images online.
	In 2012, 255 individuals were found guilty of the principal offence of possessing prohibited images of children or of possessing indecent photographs. In the same year, 1,315 individuals were found guilty of the principal offence of taking, permitting to be taken, making, distributing or publishing indecent photographs of children. We do not keep information on how many of these cases were internet-related, as the offence being committed is the creation, dissemination and possession of such images, rather than the means by which they are obtained.

Passports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have for citizens to be able to complete passport applications at post offices in the future in the same way that they can at present for driving licences and biometric residence permits.

Mark Harper: Her Majesty's Passport Office currently has a commercial arrangement with the Post Office to offer a ‘Check and Send' service. This enables applicants to have their passport application form checked for accuracy by the Post Office and submitted on their behalf. This is a paper based service using printed photographs and original supporting documents.
	The Post Office currently offers an electronic application submission for driving licences and biometric residence permits, but at present this does not extend to passport applications.
	Her Majesty's Passport Office, like the rest of UK Government, has embraced the digital by default strategy championed by the Cabinet Office. In order to deliver the digital service our customers require we are first launching an online application channel later this year, starting with overseas customers. This will not initially support digital submission of photographs or supporting documents, but we are now in the process of agreeing our digital roadmap that will consider how this might be achieved in the near future, and which will have the potential to be developed into a fully digital service in future.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department plans to take to review the effectiveness of police and crime commissioners.

Damian Green: It is for the public to judge the effectiveness of their directly elected police and crime commissioner (PCC). The next elections for PCCs will be held in May 2016.

Proceeds of Crime

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration the Government have given to implementing a central bank register to facilitate the seizing of proceeds of crime.

Jeremy Browne: The UK is committed to tackling illicit financial activity, which is a key priority for the UK's G8 presidency. Through this, and the EU, the UK is working to ensure full implementation of the Financial Action Task Force Standards, including ensuring access to information in order to effectively seize the proceeds of crime. The Government are not convinced that a central bank register is necessary in order to achieve this.

Raves

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on whether police forces should routinely breathalyse people departing from illegal raves on farms.

Damian Green: The police have an unrestricted power to stop vehicles and can carry out a breath test on any driver they reasonably suspect of having alcohol in their body or having committed a moving traffic offence or who has been involved in a road traffic collision. If a person gives a positive breath test, that person is arrested on suspicion of drink driving.
	Enforcement of the law is an operational matter for the police in each case. Any general policy adopted by an individual police force is a matter for that force's chief officer.

Sexual Offences

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the establishment of a European sexual offenders register.

Jeremy Browne: The EU has no current plans for a European Sexual Offenders Register. However, public protection is a priority for this Government and the notification requirements for registered sex offenders in our domestic legislation form an invaluable tool in the management of offenders within the community and the assessing of risk of such individuals travelling outside the UK.
	The UK is actively involved in a number of areas of work aimed at enhancing the monitoring of serious sexual and violent offenders travelling within the EU. We are leading an EU funded project known as SOMEC —serious offending by mobile European criminals. This two-year, research-based project is evaluating current procedures for law enforcement and offender management, and will publish a concluding report making recommendations for improvements. The project has international partners from the Netherlands, Latvia and Catalonia in Spain.
	The UK is also actively supporting Project Haven, Europol's initiative against travelling sex offenders, launched in November 2010, which aims to disrupt sexual offences against children perpetrated by EU citizens abroad (intra or extra EU).
	The UK has one of the most robust systems of managing sexual offenders in the world. We will continue to work with international policing and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the right powers are available for the authorities to tackle serious sexual crimes and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Sexual Offences

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish in full the data on which table 3.2, Number of sexual offences recorded by the police, 2005-06 to 2011-12 in An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales, published on 10 January 2013, was based.

Jeremy Browne: The data were an extract from Table A4 in the ONS Bulletin Crime in England and Wales—Quarterly First Release, March 2012. It is not possible to break down the offence codes any further.
	The police recorded crime open data published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables
	provide a breakdown of the number of crimes by detailed offence codes (including sexual offences) recorded by the police by police force area and by community safety partnership by quarter.

Social Networking: Incitement

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has held with (a) Twitter, (b) Facebook and (c) other social media providers on measures to remove hate speech from their platforms; and what steps (i) her Department and (ii) social media providers have taken as a consequence of those discussions.

Jeremy Browne: Tackling hate crime is an issue that the Government take very seriously and we already have in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry. These laws apply equally to online material.
	If a website publishes illegal content the relevant internet service provider will remove it. If content which is not illegal but which is offensive is published, it may infringe the service provider's “acceptable use policy” and can be removed.
	The Government are working with leading social media providers and other industry representatives to improve the response to offensive and criminal online material.

Theft: Agricultural Machinery

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce cross-border crime consisting of the theft of agricultural vehicles and equipment.

Jeremy Browne: Tackling the theft of construction and agricultural equipment is primarily a matter for police forces, working with the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU). PANIU is a specialist police unit whose primary aim is to reduce plant and agricultural theft across the United Kingdom. It monitors machinery theft from both the construction and farming industries, researches trends and threats, and helps individual police forces to identify stolen equipment and tackle the criminals responsible.
	The National Crime Agency will also ensure that partners across the law enforcement community with a role in countering cross-border theft of agricultural vehicles and equipment benefit from its coordination, tasking and intelligence arrangements, in particular where this links to serious and organised crime, as well as being able to access its specialist capabilities where appropriate.

Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial Group

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 154W, on Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial Group, what the ministerial level or civil service grade is of each attendee from each Department at each of that Group's last five meetings.

Jeremy Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 920-21W.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what dates he met representatives of (a) Flybe and (b) EasyJet in each of the last 12 months at which the issue of air passenger duty was discussed.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-treasury/series/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Business: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what grants and investments have been made under the Business Finance Partnership to date; and of these what funds have been (a) allocated and (b) drawn down to date.

Sajid Javid: Budget 2013 confirmed that the Business Finance Partnership has invested £700 million and raised another £1 billion from the private sector to create five new funds that will lend to mid-sized companies. These funds are now making their first loans to businesses and further aggregate data on these investments will be published in the coming months.
	Additionally, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is investing £87 million through non-traditional channels including peer-to-peer platforms and supply chain finance.

Capital Allowances

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to (a) consult and (b) report on proposals to align the treatment of assets eligible for mineral extraction allowances with that for assets eligible for plant and machinery allowance where profits are not taxed in the UK.

David Gauke: At Budget 2013, the Government announced their plans to consult informally on proposals to align the treatment of assets eligible for mineral extraction allowances with that for assets eligible for plant and machinery allowances, where profits are not taxed in the UK.
	The Government will report on their proposals once that consultation, which will begin before the summer recess, is complete.

Capital Allowances: Company Cars

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to consult on proposals to amend first year allowances for businesses purchasing the lowest emissions vehicles.

Sajid Javid: Budget 2012 announced a number of changes to the first-year allowance (FYA) for low emissions vehicles to ensure that it remains a targeted, robust and fiscally sustainable incentive.
	These changes were set out in draft legislation, which was published alongside the Government's autumn statement in December 2012. This was open for technical consultation.
	At Budget 2013, the Government announced a further extension of the FYA to 31 March 2018. This extension will be legislated in Finance Bill 2015, following a period of technical consultation on the draft legislation.
	The case for extending the FYA beyond 2018, and the appropriate carbon dioxide emissions threshold, will be reviewed at Budget 2016.

Coinage: Forgery

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of counterfeit £1 coins currently in circulation.

Sajid Javid: The Royal Mint regularly conducts surveys to estimate the level of counterfeit £1 coins in the UK. A survey undertaken in November 2012 estimated there to be around 40 million counterfeit £1 coins in circulation.
	Provisions for various offences connected with the counterfeiting of coins are included in the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981. Enforcement of these provisions is a matter for law enforcement agencies, such as the police, Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Excise Duties: Beer

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantity of beer was seized by HM Revenue and Customs due to excise duty not having been paid in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: The total quantity (in litres) of beer seized by HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force over the last five years is tabulated here:
	
		
			  Total (litres) 
			 2008-09 5,780,117 
			 2009-10 4,128,660 
			 2010-11 6,530,178 
			 2011-12 8,825,821 
			 2012-13 9,369,728

Financial Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will (a) consult and (b) report on loan relationships and on derivative contracts legislation.

David Gauke: Consultation on modernizing the rules governing the taxation of loan relationships and derivative contracts was announced at Budget 2013, with legislation to be included in Finance Bills in 2014 and 2015. A consultation document will be published shortly, and a summary of responses and draft legislation for those measures to be included in Finance Bill 2014 will be published in the autumn. Further formal consultation is expected in 2014.

Gift Aid

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will report on the consultation undertaken to make it easier to claim Gift Aid; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government want to see a high rate of Gift Aid claims across all the ways people give to charity. Budget 2013 announced that we would consult on proposals to make it easier to claim Gift Aid on a wide range of digital giving channels. A consultation document will be published shortly setting out the proposals.

Income Tax: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to consult on legislation to require the National Audit Office to report annually to the Scottish Parliament on HM Revenue and Custom's administration of the Scottish rate of income tax.

David Gauke: Legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2014 to require the National Audit Office to report direct to the Scottish Parliament annually on HMRC’s administration of the Scottish rate of income tax. This legislation will be published for comment as part of the usual process for wider consultation on draft Finance Bill clauses in autumn 2013.

Income Tax: Scotland

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Scottish Government regarding support to individuals affected by relief at source tax arrangements to ensure they receive the correct amount of tax relief following the introduction of different tax rates under the Scotland Act 2012.

David Gauke: The Government have made it clear that Scottish taxpayers who contribute directly to pension schemes will continue to receive relief for their contributions at their marginal income tax rate. HMRC have consulted industry representatives on changes to the relief at source process that will be required as a result of the new Scottish rate of income tax in the Scotland Act Pensions Technical Group, on which the Scottish Government is represented.

Income Tax: Scotland

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to ensure that taxpayers in Scotland who are members of pension schemes which operate the relief at source process are not adversely affected by differing rates of income tax in Scotland provided for by the Scotland Act 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC published a Technical Note entitled ‘Clarifying the Scope of the Scottish Rate of Income Tax’ in May 2012, which set out the Government's intention to continue to give tax relief on pensions at individuals' marginal rates to all taxpayers after the Scottish rate of income tax is introduced. Since then, HMRC has continued to discuss this issue with the industry via its Scotland Act Pensions Technical Group to find a method of giving relief which ensures that contributors receive the right amount of relief while minimising costs to HMRC and the industry. The most recent meeting of the group took place in April 2013.

Income Tax: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners in Scotland currently pay (a) no income tax, (b) the basic rate of income tax, (c) the higher rate of income tax and (d) the additional rate of income tax.

David Gauke: Estimates of the number of taxpayers in Scotland above state pension age are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Thousand 
			 Taxpayers(1)  
			 Non-Higher Rate(2) 511 
			 Higher Rate 20 
			 Additional Rate 1 
			 All 532 
			   
			 Population estimate(3) 11,035 
			 (1) These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for 2010-11 which provides the latest outturn data available. (2) The “non-higher rate” category covers all liabilities that arise on income taxable up to the basic rate limit. (3) Office for National Statistics, 2010 mid year based population projections, adjusted to financial year estimates. 
		
	
	ONS population estimates are mid year point in time whereas taxpayer estimates represent numbers of individuals with tax liabilities arising during the financial year.

Inheritance Tax

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will report on the consultation on simplifying of inheritance tax charges to which trusts are subjected at 10 yearly intervals and when property is transferred out of the trust.

David Gauke: The initial consultation on the simplification of IHT Trust charges was published on 13 July 2012. A response to this consultation was published as ‘Inheritance Tax: Simplifying Charges on Trusts consultation response document’ on 28 March 2013. These documents can be found by following the links at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/consultations/index.htm
	A second, more detailed consultation, setting out options on how periodic and exit charges can be simplified as well as proposals for aligning the payment and filing dates of these charges and the treatment of accumulated income was published on 31 May 2013. The closing date for this consultation is 23 August 2013. This document can be found using the same link above.
	The responses will be considered and a response document will be published in due course.

Minimum Wage

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions there were for offences of failure to pay the national minimum wage in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

David Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 521W.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average waiting time for customers telephoning HM Revenue and Customs' Self Assessment Helpline was in May 2013.

David Gauke: The average queue time for HM Revenue and Customs’ Self Assessment Helpline in May 2013 was 8 minutes, 42 seconds.

Self-employed Contributions

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on consultation regarding simplifying the administrative process for the self-employed by using self assessment to collect class 2 national insurance contributions alongside income tax and class 4 national insurance contributions.

David Gauke: HMRC is preparing a consultation document and plans to publish it later this year.

Tax Allowances: Business

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what types of tax relief were claimed by each FTSE-100 company in the last financial year; and how much each such company received under each such tax relief.

David Gauke: Taxpayer confidentiality prevents HMRC from disclosing such details.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will report on the consultation on the detail of an individual protection regime for individuals with pension rights above £1.25 million when the standard lifetime allowance is reduced from £1.5 million to £1.25 million.

Sajid Javid: As announced at Budget 2013, the consultation document on individual protection will be published this spring.

Tax Avoidance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on securing an agreement on tax transparency with a public registry of beneficial ownership and automatic exchange of tax information.

David Gauke: As the Prime Minister wrote in his letter to G8 leaders, the G8 is a unique opportunity to galvanise collective international action on tax transparency. In particular, the UK is committed to using its presidency of the G8 to secure agreement on the development of a new international standard in the automatic exchange of tax information to step up the fight against tax evasion.
	The UK is also committed to using its presidency of the G8 to shine a light on company ownership, and we are working through the G8 and the EU to ensure full implementation of the FATF standards on beneficial ownership.

Tax Avoidance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce penalties against legal, accountancy or other companies or advisers who are found to have promoted arrangements the primary purpose of which is to avoid tax rather than to conduct any substantive economic transaction.

David Gauke: The Government announced in the Budget that they will consult on new powers to take tougher action against high risk promoters of tax avoidance schemes, including new information and penalty powers, and the possible use of ‘naming and shaming’. The consultation is expected to begin shortly.

Taxation: Internet

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will require HM Revenue and Customs to define publicly the limits of what an internet company can do in the UK before it is deemed to have a taxable presence.

David Gauke: In order to have a taxable presence in the UK an internet company would need to be either resident in the UK or, if it is not UK resident, it needs to be trading in the UK through a permanent establishment. HMRC already publishes guidance in its International Manual that explains when a non-resident company is taxable in the UK.
	If a business sells to UK customers from overseas rather than through a UK company or branch, it does not have to pay UK corporation tax on the profits arising from those sales.
	A permanent establishment will exist where there is a fixed place of business in the UK or where there is an agent in the UK which is not independent from the non-resident company and which habitually binds the company to contracts.

Taxation: Partnerships

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will publish the outcome of the review by the Office of Tax Simplification into ways of simplifying partnerships.

David Gauke: At Budget, the Chancellor announced that the independent Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) would carry out a review of ways to simplify the taxation of partnerships. This review will include an initial scoping exercise to identify which areas are most complex for taxpayers and the OTS aims to publish its initial findings in the autumn.

Taxation: Profit Sharing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will report on consultation on the recommendation of the Office of Tax Simplification's review of non-tax advantaged share schemes.

David Gauke: The Government's consultation on recommendations made by the Office of Tax Simplification in its review of unapproved share schemes was published on 24 May, and can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/200910/Unapproved_share_schemes.pdf
	This consultation runs until 16 August. The Government's response will be published in autumn 2013 and any changes arising from this consultation are expected to be implemented in 2014.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Change of Use

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library maps of the areas granted exemptions from permitted development rights for change of use from office to residential;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library copies of the letters sent to all of the local authorities that applied for exemptions from permitted development rights for change of use from office to residential informing them of the outcome of their application; and if he will tabulate for each application the assessment scores across each criterion.

Nicholas Boles: The maps of areas exempt from office to residential change of use permitted development right are available for inspection at the office of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. They are also available to view on the Gov.uk website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
	We do not routinely publish the results of local authorities who have made unsuccessful applications to ensure that they are not deterred from participating in similar exercises in the future.

Clothing

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible have made a claim for evening dress allowance in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of such claims has been.

Brandon Lewis: The Department's accounting system has no centrally held records of expenditure of this kind.

Enterprise Zones

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what targets have been set for job creation for each enterprise zone; and how many jobs have been created by each enterprise zone to date;
	(2)  what targets have been set for the number of firms located at each enterprise zone; and how many firms are currently located at each enterprise zone;
	(3)  what recent discussions he and officials of his Department have had with (a) colleagues in other Departments and (b) local authorities on the delivery of enterprise zones.

Mark Prisk: DCLG has not set any specific targets for the number of jobs created or firms locating in each enterprise zone. However, since April 2012 nearly 3,000 new jobs have been created since going live, as well as attracting some £229 million in private sector investment.
	DCLG is also working closely with other Government Departments and local authorities on the delivery of all enterprise zones to ensure they realise their full potential in the short and long-term.

Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to issue guidance relating to Clause 1 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013.

Nicholas Boles: We published our response to the consultation on implementing section 1 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act on 4 June, alongside the criteria that we propose to use for designating or de-designating any local planning authorities whose performance has dropped below an acceptable level. Secondary legislation and guidance on the process for submitting applications directly to the Secretary of State, where applicants in designated areas choose this route, will be published in the autumn.

Housing: North West

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new housing starts began in (a) Tameside Metropolitan borough and (b) Stalybridge and Hyde constituency in 2012-13.

Mark Prisk: Data for Stalybridge and Hyde constituency are not collected centrally. The constituency falls within the metropolitan borough of Tameside.
	Statistics on house building starts by tenure in each local authority are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Landlords: Immigration Controls

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria he proposes to use to identify high-risk areas where landlords will be required to check on the immigration status of prospective tenants; and whether the proportion of ethnic minorities living in an area will form part of those criteria.

Mark Prisk: The Government are taking action to stop rogue landlords who cash in from housing illegal immigrants. These measures will send out a strong signal and help reduce unsustainable immigration.
	We will avoid burdening the private rented sector with unnecessary red tape and any changes will not adversely affect UK nationals looking to rent.
	More information on the proposals will be published for consultation in due course, and the reforms will be subject to scrutiny by Parliament.

Parish Councils

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to respond to the consultation on making it easier to set up new town and parish councils; and if he will make a statement.

Don Foster: The Department is currently finalising its response to the consultation on making it easier to set up new town and parish councils and expects to publish the response in due course.

Right to Buy Scheme: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority-owned properties have been purchased through the Government's Right to Buy scheme in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in each of the last three years.

Mark Prisk: Data on the sales of local authority properties through the Right to Buy scheme are not available at constituency level. Figures are available at local authority level and can be found in Tables 691 (quarterly data) and 685 (annual data) at these places:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/199104/Table_691.xls
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/200525/Table_685__version_2_.xls
	The figures show that there were 626 sales through the Right to Buy scheme in Birmingham, the local authority that covers the Hall Green constituency, in the three years between 2010-11 and 2012-13. It should be noted that these are sales from local authorities and do not include sales of social housing stock through Preserved Right to Buy made by registered providers (such as housing associations).
	Right to Buy sales have doubled in Birmingham since the new discounts were introduced, but there is more to do to inform tenants of their new rights and help them up the ladder of home ownership.

Temporary Accommodation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of time people spend in temporary accommodation after being made homeless is.

Mark Prisk: The Department does not collect precise information on the average length of time spent by homeless households in temporary accommodation, but estimates suggest that the average length of time has fallen, from an average across England of 19 months in 2009-10 to 13 months in 2012-13.
	We are investing £470 million in homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We have also invested an additional £1.7 million over two years (2012-13 to 2013-14) in a new scheme to support local authorities deliver a ‘Gold Standard' homelessness prevention service to stem future increases in statutory homelessness and rough sleeping. Homelessness is around half the average level it was under the last Administration. Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will put measures in place to allow local communities to object to onshore wind farms.

Mark Prisk: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made today.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the use of the biomass gasifier technology using pyrolysis, combustion and reduction to enable the combustion of biomass from areas contaminated by radioactive fallout to be used safely.

Michael Fallon: Emissions from biomass power stations in England are regulated by the Environment Agency. The agency has not received any requests to use radioactively contaminated biomass, and has not, therefore, made any such estimates.

Energy

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Government plans to review the threshold at which energy suppliers are required to participate in social and environmental programmes.

Gregory Barker: The Government are keen to ensure a regulatory framework that facilitates competition among current participants, encourages new entrants and allows small suppliers to grow.
	The exemptions for small suppliers from certain environmental and social programmes are a key element of the framework which we continue to consider as we look at removing barriers to entry and growth.

Energy

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to reduce demand for energy.

Edward Davey: This Government's November Energy Efficiency Strategy clearly sets out the importance of reducing our energy demand and how the UK has an opportunity to lead the world in improving its energy efficiency. Game changing initiatives such as the Green Deal, Electricity Demand Reduction and the roll-out of smart meters are central to realising this opportunity.

Fracking

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress the Government has made on facilitating exploration of UK shale gas reserves.

Michael Fallon: We have strengthened the regulatory framework to protect the environment and to ensure that hydraulic fracturing is done properly and safely, but we do want to encourage shale exploration. We have announced fiscal incentives for developers and are working on community benefits for example discounts on residents bills in drilling areas.

Fracking

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 358W, on fracking, what plans he has to commission further studies on the volume of shale gas in place to determine a total UK shale gas resource.

Michael Fallon: DECC has already commissioned further work by the British Geological Survey to assess the potential shale gas resource in the Weald area in the South of England. Once that study has been carried out, DECC will consider whether further analysis will be needed to assess the potential shale gas resource in other parts of Great Britain.

Nuclear Power Stations

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the UK's new fleet of nuclear power stations will come on line; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government are firmly committed to ensure that the conditions are right for investment in new nuclear power in the UK. It is for energy companies to construct, operate and decommission nuclear power stations. Industry has set out plans to develop around 16GW of new nuclear power stations in the UK, the first of which is expected to come on line in the early 2020s.

Renewable Energy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with community energy co-operatives and other community energy groups on developing such local initiatives; what assessment he has made of the success of such groups in Germany; and if he has given consideration to the ways in which British communities could twin with German towns and cities where community energy schemes have demonstrated success.

Michael Fallon: In April, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), met the Community Energy Coalition and the Community Energy Contact Group. DECC officials continue to meet regularly with the Community Energy Contact Group and other key stakeholders.
	The Community Energy Strategy, which will be published later in the year, will look at how community projects or initiatives, including co-operatives, focused on energy generation, energy saving and management, collective purchasing and collective switching can realise their potential. In order to inform that strategy, we have launched a Call for Evidence on community energy.
	The Call for Evidence is seeking information from both the UK and overseas, including Germany. On the basis of the evidence received, we will consider ways in which our communities may be able to learn from good practice in other countries.

Wind Power

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of public support for offshore and onshore wind.

Michael Fallon: We recognise that many people have real concerns about the siting of onshore wind turbines in their communities and how they are involved in this process: The Government have today announced reforms to change the balance and give local people a stronger say of the siting of onshore wind farms. Where new turbines are agreed we will ensure that they are developed in a way that benefits the local community, such as cheaper bills.
	DECC publishes a regular tracker which includes public attitudes to renewable energy. The most recent survey is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/198722/Summary_of_Wave_5_findings_ of_Public_Attitudes_Tracker.pdf

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what onshore wind energy generation capacity (a) had been installed, (b) had gained planning consent and (c) was seeking planning permission on 1 June 2013. [R]

Michael Fallon: This information is publicly available within the monthly extract of the Department’s Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), which tracks all renewable projects through the planning system:
	https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
	As of the end of April 2013, the date of the latest REPD update, the figures for installed capacity for onshore wind in the UK were:
	
		
			  MW 
			 Operational 6,345.74 
			 Awaiting and under construction 6,738.91 
			 Submitted for planning consent 5,769.53

WORK AND PENSIONS

Absenteeism

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the annual cost to companies in England of workplace absenteeism.

Esther McVey: DWP does not routinely collect data on the cost of sickness absence or workplace absenteeism, but the 2011 report “Health at Work” by Dame Carol Black and David Frost estimated that sickness absence costs employers in Great Britain £8.9 billion per year.
	The Government are currently working on a range of measures that will support people to remain in and return to work, including a new health and work assessment and advisory service which will make occupational health expertise more widely available to those employees and employers who need it most.

Child Poverty

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were living in poverty in (a) Wirral, (b) Merseyside and (c) England in the last three years for which information is available.

Esther McVey: This information is not available for all the areas requested. The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account). Estimates of these are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. The most recent figures showed that 300,000 children moved out of relative income poverty. In fact, this was caused by a fall in the median income. For such children, life remained the same: disadvantage continued to limit aspiration and they were no better off.
	Information for Wirral and Merseyside is not available as the sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide robust estimates.
	Three-year averages are used to report statistics by region and country, as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. The latest figures for relative and absolute low income for England and for the north-west region covering the last three years (up until 2008-09 to 2010-11) and latest figures for combined low income and material deprivation can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2011/index.php?page=contents
	(ISBN 978-1-78153-046-7).
	Relevant figures can be found in Table 4.6db (on page 115) for the latest relative low income and combined low income and material deprivation proportions, Table 4.17ts (on page 136) for relative low income for the last three years and Table 4.23ts (on page 142) for absolute low income for the last three years.
	Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today (as shown in the reduction of children in poverty as median income drops). We want to develop better measures of child poverty which include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. A large volume of responses was received and all of these are being read and analysed to ensure that all important points are captured and used to help Ministers decide on the next steps.

Disability Living Allowance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for disability living allowance were rejected in each of the last (a) six months and (b) five years for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The proportion of disability living allowance (DLA) new claim applications that have been rejected are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table (a): DLA new claims rejected 
			  Percentage rejected 
			 November 2012 54.3 
			 December 2012 51.9 
			 January 2013 53.4 
			 February 2013 52.4 
			 March 2013 53.8 
			 April 2013 51.9 
			 Total 53.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Table (b): DLA new claims rejected 
			  Percentage rejected 
			 2008-09 54.1 
			 2009-10 55.5 
			 2010-11 56.7 
			 2011-12 56.1 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 53.7 
			 Source: Department for Work and Pensions—RDA60209 and RDA60205 reports—Disability Living Allowance Management Information Statistics

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend eligibility for the mobility component of the disability living allowance to disabled and life-limited children under the age of three.

Esther McVey: There are no plans to extend eligibility for the mobility component of disability living allowance to disabled and life-limited children under the age of three.

Disability Living Allowance: Children

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will include specialist car seats in the list of essential equipment for disabled children under the age of 12.

Esther McVey: The social security benefits system does not use a list of essential equipment for disabled people in determining entitlement to benefits.

Disability Living Allowance: Young People

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of applications for disability living allowance for people aged under 18 were rejected in each of the last (a) six months and (b) five years for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: The information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many wage incentives have been taken up under the Youth Contract since April 2012.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I previously gave to him, question numbers 155473 and 155478 on 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 349W.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people flowing on to jobseeker's allowance (JSA) were in receipt of (a) income-based JSA and (b) contribution-based JSA in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Hoban: In the year to November 2012, DWP generalised matching service (GMS) data suggest that around two thirds of JSA inflows were income-based and around a quarter contribution-based. In a small number of cases people receive both contributory and income-based JSA, and some people receive national insurance credits.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Scotland have received a sanction on (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d)  four, (e) five and (f) more than five occasions in each year since 2010.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Number(1 )of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctions applied(2) by year of decision(3) and the number of times the claimant has been sanctioned in that year in Scotland Jobcentre Plus Group(7):1 January 2010 to 21 October 2012 
			  Year of decision(3) 
			 Number of times the claimant has been sanctioned in this year 2010 2011 2012 
			 One 32,790 31,880 32,080 
			 Two 6,600 6,170 7,020 
			 Three 1,840 1,650 2,190 
			 Four 570 550 850 
			 Five 240 190 330 
			 More than five 180 180 240 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. ‘—’ denotes nil or negligible. 2. Sanctions applied: The number of sanctions applied is the number of Varied(4), Fixed Length(5) and Entitlement Decision(6) referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 3. Year of decision: The year in which the decision to apply a sanction was made. The year 2012 only includes data up to and including 21 October, where these are the latest data available. 4. Varied Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the Adjudication Officer who makes the decision. 5. Fixed Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a Jobseeker's Direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the Adjudication Officer's decision on a sanction question. 6. Entitlement Decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the Jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. 7. Jobcentre Plus Group: Formerly known as Jobcentre Plus Regions. Jobcentre Plus Groups were updated to reflect changes to the hierarchical structure of Jobcentre Plus implemented on 5 April 2011 from 11 regions to seven groups. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the income level is beyond which individuals are no longer eligible for support for mortgage interest; and what the age profile is of recipients of support for mortgage interest.

Steve Webb: Support with mortgage interest (SMI) is not a stand alone benefit but is a component of income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance, and income-related employment and support allowance and state pension credit. The level of these benefits depends upon the circumstances of the individual case. For example, whether the claimant is single or has a partner, whether they have children, whether someone has a disability. It also depends upon the amount of the SMI to which they are entitled.
	It is not possible therefore to provide a figure for the level of income beyond which individuals are no longer eligible for support for mortgage interest.
	In universal credit, an owner-occupier who is in receipt of earned income will not qualify for SMI. However, owner occupiers in universal credit who are not receiving SMI will qualify, where applicable, for the higher earnings disregards that apply to those claimants who have no housing costs.
	The SMI caseload by age group is as follows:
	
		
			  Rounded 
			  Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-59 60-64 65 and Over Total 
			 JSA (1)— — 2,500 7,300 9,700 3,400 900 (1)— 23,900 
			 IS (1)— (2)100 3,600 10,600 16,100 9,000 2,000 (1)— 41,500 
			 PC (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 20,500 74,700 95,200 
			 All (ex. ESA) (1)— (2)200 6,200 17,900 25,800 12,500 23,400 74,700 160,600 
			 (1 )Nil or Negligible. (2 )Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide. Notes: 1. Equivalent data for employment and support allowance (ESA) is not available. 2. JSA = jobseeker's allowance; IS = income support; PC = pension credit; ESA = employment and support allowance. 3. Sample data has been weighted to 100% data. 4. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Source: DWP Quarterly Statistical Enquiry (sample data), November 2012.

Universal Credit

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to carry out an impact assessment on the introduction of housing costs contributions under universal credit;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects on youth (a) unemployment and (b) homelessness of the introduction of housing costs contributions under universal credit.

Steve Webb: It has long been a feature of the benefits system that someone living in a claimant's home should be expected to contribute towards the rent.
	It is not possible to isolate the impact of the housing cost contribution from the other constituent parts of universal credit. This means that no assessment is available on the potential impacts of the housing cost contribution in universal credit in respect of homelessness or youth unemployment. However, individuals aged under 21 will not be expected to make a housing cost contribution, and so we do not anticipate this change to have a detrimental effect of homelessness on this group.
	While it is not possible to isolate the effects of the housing cost contribution, the impact of universal credit will be reviewed and monitored as roll out takes place, and a comprehensive evaluation programme is under development. The published impact assessment for universal credit can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-impact-assessment

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have successfully claimed universal credit in the pathfinder to date.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply I provided him with on 21 May 2013, Official Report, column 675W, on how many people have claimed universal credit in the pathfinder to date. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013.
	We expect around 7,000 claims to be processed in pathfinders.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps a person undergoing a work capability assessment has to take in order to obtain an audio recording of their assessment.

Mark Hoban: All requests for audio recorded assessments should be made to Atos Healthcare as part of the appointment booking process. This is to ensure adequate notice to make recording equipment available and ready for use.
	In the case of a claimant using their own equipment this will ensure that the Atos health care professional (HCP) conducting the assessment is aware and to make sure that the proposed recording equipment is compliant with the DWP/Atos Healthcare requirements.
	If Atos Healthcare has been unable to contact a claimant by phone and an appointment letter is issued, the claimant will need to telephone Atos Healthcare as soon as possible to notify them of their request for a recorded assessment.
	If a claimant makes a request for the recording service to a DWP Benefit Centre they will be advised to make their request to Atos Healthcare.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what items of equipment are available for the audio recording of the work capability assessments.

Mark Hoban: Currently Atos Healthcare has 31 audio recording machines, three of which are in for repair. They also have access to 21 cassette machines on loan from DWP.
	Claimants who have requested to record their own assessment must use appropriate equipment that can provide two copies of the recording in such a way to ensure that the recording has not been tampered with and is a reliable and accurate record of the assessment.
	For this reason certain devices which are capable of real-time editing or live-streaming are not approved; such as computing devices, these include but are not limited to: PCs and laptops, tablets, smart phones, MP3 players or devices which cannot provide a media copy that can be easily verified during the assessment. Media types that are acceptable at this time are standard CD and audio tapes only.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many requests for an audio recording of the work capability assessment have been turned down to date; and for what reasons.

Mark Hoban: Currently only nine requests for an audio recording have been turned down. This occurred in July 2012 and was because they could not be accommodated within the four week timeframe for arranging assessments.
	DWP had previously asked Atos Healthcare to accommodate requests for recorded assessments within four weeks and where this was not possible the assessment should go ahead without a recording.
	However, to help ensure claimant expectations can be met, the four week timeframe has currently been removed to enable us to gather a fuller picture of demand and capacity in order to inform a full and robust evaluation of the interim audio recording policy.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of whether the Work Programme budget will be underspent in 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: We are unable to comment on the 2013-14 forecast expenditure against the Work programme budget as it is subject to change as the programme is payment by results.

Work Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to support people leaving the Work Programme after two years without a successful job sustainment.

Mark Hoban: Jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance claimants returning from the Work programme will have a thorough assessment interview with Jobcentre Plus to understand how best to build on their time on the Work programme, and continue to move them closer to the labour market and towards long-term sustainable employment. At their first appointment they will have to agree a back-to-work plan laying out what they are required to do.
	All claimants will receive flexible support tailored to their individual needs. This is underpinned by a core regime of face to face meetings and a tough sanctions regime for those who do not take necessary steps to prepare for work.
	Jobseeker's allowance claimants who need it will be subject to a more intensive regime. Jobcentre Plus will be able to provide this intensive support, which will involve more frequent meetings with advisers and increased use of mandation, to the vast majority of jobseeker's allowance claimants returning from the Work programme.

SCOTLAND

Devolution

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the minutes of all meetings of the High Level Implementation Group on the Scotland Bill.

Michael Moore: The High Level Implementation Group established by the UK Government met four times between July 2010 and October 2011. It was set up to advise the Government on the practical implications of the implementation of the Commission on Scottish Devolution's taxation proposals. The minutes of these meetings will be placed in the House Library.

Sign Language

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office complies with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 in its interactions with the public.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not set specific budgets for individual modes of ministerial travel. All ministerial travel is undertaken by the most efficient and cost effective way, in accordance with the Ministerial Code, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office spend on ministerial travel in each year of the current Parliament is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Government car service and private hire vehicles Taxis Rail Aviation Ferry 
			 2007-08 57,913 7,518 1,358 1,075 0 
			 2008-09 98,603 23,313 1,381 1,142 0 
			 2009-10 145,509 14,560 2,250 63 118 
			 2010-11 87,781 3,273 1,028 7,749 158 
			 2011-12 29,090 8,418 1,070 24,822 0 
			 2012-13 70,118 6,580 1,917 35,618 40 
		
	
	The figure for the Government Car Service and private hire vehicles for 2012-13 includes £10,230 of costs for 2011-12 only charged for in 2012-13.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of allegations that British-made bombs have been used by the Burmese Army in Kachin State.

Hugo Swire: Burma Campaign UK and Kachin National Council recently wrote to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office alleging that British-made world war two era 20 pound fragmentation bombs may have been used during Burmese Army offensives in Kachin State in December 2012. I have since replied confirming that the Ministry of Defence has investigated the origin of the munitions, and based on the evidence provided, can confirm that the munitions are not of British origin.

Burma

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British ambassador to Burma has attempted to meet (a) Myint Soe and (b) other political prisoners imprisoned in that country.

Hugo Swire: We remain in regular contact with released political prisoners and their representatives, but British officials have not visited political prisoners while they are detained. However, we consider one political prisoner one too many and continue to raise this matter with senior members of the Burmese Government at every opportunity.
	We also follow closely the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, and have had regular discussions with him covering the full range of issues highlighted by Mr Quintana in his reporting, including the issue of political prisoners.
	We welcome the creation by the Burmese Government of a committee on political prisoners and note the range of independent civil society organisations taking part. This committee builds on earlier steps by the Burmese Government to grant access to prisoners and prisons to the International Committee for the Red Cross, something for which we consistently lobbied. It will be important that all cases are reviewed promptly, impartially and transparently and we will be watching developments closely.

Burma

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of grants provided by the British embassy in Rangoon were allocated to projects which promote human rights in the latest period for which figures are available.

Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 June 2013, Official Report, column 1121W.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.

Alistair Burt: The comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 1996 but has not yet entered into force.
	Some 159 states have ratified the CTBT. However, the CTBT requires all 44 states named in Annex II of the treaty to ratify it for it to enter into force. At present eight of the Annex II states have not ratified the CTBT (USA, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Iran and Egypt).
	The UK has long been a supporter of the CTBT, being the first country, along with France, to sign and ratify the treaty in 1996 and 1998 respectively. We continue to push for the eight remaining Annex II states to ratify the treaty through bilateral discussions, discussions in multilateral forums, and our support to build the monitoring capacity and verification regime of the CTBT organisation in Vienna.

European Gendarmerie Force

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs under what circumstances the European Gendarmerie Force would be used in the UK.

David Lidington: I cannot foresee any circumstances under which the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) would be used in the UK.

Nuclear Disarmament

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and New START are bilateral treaties between the USA and Russia.
	Both countries' delegations made statements at the recent Non-Proliferation Preparatory Committee meeting in Geneva in April 2013. These can be found on the UN website:
	http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/NPT2015/PrepCom2013/

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was opened for signature in July 1968, and entered into force in 1970. Review Conferences are held every five years, to review the operation of the Treaty, with Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meetings also held in the three years preceding the Review Conference.
	In April - May 2013, the second PrepCom for this review cycle was held among state parties, under the Chairmanship of Coronel Ferruta of Romania. The main issues for debate were around disarmament, the proliferation challenges of Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the conference planned on the establishment of a Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone. The UK statements are available on the UN website:
	http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/NPT2015/PrepCom2013/

Nuclear Weapons

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on negotiations on the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty.

Alistair Burt: The Government want negotiations to start in the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT). We continue to work with partners in the CD to press Pakistan to end its block on the start of negotiations.
	We supported the resolution at last year's UN General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee to create a group of government experts (GGE) to discuss the issues surrounding a FMCT. We hope that this will prove to be a useful mechanism to kick- start negotiations within the CD.
	The UN Office for Disarmament Affairs sent a request to member states in January asking for views on a FMCT to inform preparations for the GGE. A copy of the UK's note to the UN has been placed in the Library of the House.

Taiwan: Philippines

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the incident on 9 May 2013 involving a Taiwanese vessel and a Filipino vessel, resulting in the death of Mr Hon Shi-cheng, a Taiwanese fisherman; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: I have received regular updates from our posts in Taipei and Manila on the 9 May incident, and the subsequent investigations by the Filipino and Taiwanese authorities.

WALES

Sign Language

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office does not provide services directly to the public. When required, we access the services of British Sign Language interpreters through the Ministry of Justice.

NORTHERN IRELAND

G8: County Fermanagh

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with Tourism Ireland on the potential use of publicity from the forthcoming G8 summit in Fermanagh to attract more overseas visitors to Northern Ireland.

Theresa Villiers: Northern Ireland Officials continue to work closely with colleagues from the NI Executive on a range of issues relating to the summit. The G8 summit represents an excellent opportunity to promote Northern Ireland as a first class destination for tourism and we are working together to maximise every opportunity.

Olympic Games 2012

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the contribution to the Northern Ireland economy of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Theresa Villiers: The London 2012 Games provided an important platform for Northern Ireland in the cultural, tourism and business fields. The Prime Minister was keen to demonstrate this when he visited the Giants Causeway and the Coleraine Rowing Club while the Olympics were under way. Over £40 million worth of London 2012 related contracts were won by some 45 companies from Northern Ireland. The Games gave many local firms the opportunity to showcase their business talent to the world which will be built upon for future events. Overall, the 2012 Games will generate £13 billion over four years for the economy of the UK as a whole.
	The 2012 Games also provided Northern Ireland with many social benefits. Local projects created almost 1 million opportunities for young people and communities here to get involved with the Games, and Northern Ireland athletes returned with their most successful haul of medals ever.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Health Services

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the benefits of the product development partnerships model for the development of new technologies for (a) HIV, (b) tuberculosis and (c) malaria.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government have supported Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) since their inception and to date they have been successful in developing a wide range of new health technologies for use in developing countries. These have included six new diagnostic tests for TB, six new drug combinations for malaria and a number of drug, microbicide and vaccine candidates in different stages of development.

Developing Countries: Natural Disasters

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what the UK's role is in the development of the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action;
	(2)  with reference to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) peer review report 2013, what the relationship is between the Cabinet Office's leadership on the process and her Department's role on HFA2.

Alan Duncan: The Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) is the UN plan for 2005-15 for reducing disaster impacts. The Cabinet Office leads on disaster risk reduction domestically and DFID leads on this internationally.
	Along with other member states, the UK will have a role in shaping and negotiating the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). In the coming months DFID will work closely with the Cabinet Office in a national level consultation on a successor to the framework, which will feed into the process.
	The UK is playing a leading role internationally in promoting and investing in disaster risk reduction and was the first country to volunteer to undergo a peer review to assess progress in domestic implementation of the HFA. As a result, we are well placed to engage in the development of a successor framework.

Palestinians

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the Israeli Government about social assistance payments to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Alan Duncan: The social assistance payments to families of prisoners should not be confused with payments to meet the living expenses of prisoners in Israeli jails. The latter are made at the request of the Israeli authorities and managed by an Israeli company.
	UK officials have discussed these payments with the Israeli authorities and will follow up with further discussions when appropriate.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16.

Alan Duncan: The total budget allocation for all ministerial and private office travel is set out as follows.
	(i) 2013-14: £479,000
	(ii) 2014-15: £465,000
	(iii) 2015-16: Budget allocation for this period has yet to be agreed.
	Exact figures for only ministerial travel cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current Parliament.

Alan Duncan: DFID entered into a new official car contract with the London Car Service in May 2013 to ensure greater value for money than the previous arrangement. The contract will be reviewed after 12 months. For information on previous years expenditure I refer the hon. Member to the Department for Transport's written ministerial statements of 28 October 2010, Official Report, column 23WS, 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 30WS, and 20 December 2012, Official Report, column 126WS. Details for 2012-13 will be published in due course.
	Details of overseas travel by Ministers are published quarterly and are available on the Department for International Development's website.
	DFID is unable to provide details of ministerial spend on private hire vehicles, taxis and rail without incurring disproportionate cost.

EDUCATION

Child Protection

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made of the likely effects of the provisions of the Children and Families Bill to seek child protection outcomes within a 26-week window.

Edward Timpson: The 26 week time limit for the completion of care and supervision cases was recommended by the Family Justice Review, which found clear evidence that lengthy care cases can have harmful long-term effects on a child's development, expose children to more risk, and cause already damaged children further distress and anxiety.
	The 26 week time limit clause in the Children and Families Bill does not change the fact that the child's welfare remains the court's paramount consideration when deciding whether to grant a care or supervision order. The court will have the power to extend the 26 week time limit where it is necessary to resolve proceedings justly.
	Prior to the introduction of the Bill, we conducted a full assessment of the impact of the proposed measures. This assessment found that children in care proceedings are expected to benefit from quicker decisions, with more timely decision making on their futures and, therefore, reduced periods of uncertainty. We expect permanent placements to be found more swiftly for children, meaning stability for the child will be achieved earlier. The full assessment of impact for the Family Justice clauses in the Bill can be found on the DFE website(1).
	We are already starting to see progress in the system. Average case durations have come down from 56 weeks at the time of the Family Justice Review to just over 45 weeks in the last reporting period.
	We are also using a piloting provision within the court rules to make interim adjustments to the Public Law Outline (PLO) for judicial case management. The new PLO has been significantly reduced in length and incorporates several key changes to underpin a move towards a system which routinely concludes care cases within 26 weeks.
	Areas will be able to implement the new approach in a phased way from 1 July 2013, depending on local readiness. There is an expectation that all areas will implement the new PLO by 7 October 2013, although there will be some flexibility for those agencies/local authorities which may still not be able to comply with all the new provisions within this time scale.
	(1)http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/childrenandfamiliesbill/a00221161/children-families-bill

Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Children Review

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Bailey Review on the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood, published in June 2011.

Edward Timpson: All of the recommendations in the Bailey Review were to be taken forward by industry and regulators except for the stocktake of progress, which was for the Government. The stocktake has been completed and a progress report was published on 24 May. The stocktake found that good progress has been made on a voluntary basis and parents should now find that: it is easier to block adult and age-restricted material on the internet and individual devices; there is less highly sexualised imagery in advertising in public places; pre-watershed television programming is more suitable for family viewing; children's clothes are more likely to be age-appropriate; and it is easier to make complaints, using the ParentPort website, about unsuitable advertising, television programmes and video games seen by children.
	The Government will now take action to: make sure that online music videos carry labels that show their age suitability, in order to protect children from harmful material; and make it even easier for parents to keep their children safe online, wherever they are and in whatever way they might access the internet.

Free Schools

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints his Department received from people or organisations applying to open free schools about (a) personal attacks, (b) threats and (c) intimidation related to their applications in each of the last two years; and what steps his Department took in response to each of those complaints.

Edward Timpson: Through verbal communications between officials and free school groups, the Department has been alerted to several incidents including a death threat, persistent and intimidating behaviour towards a free school group and teachers associated with free school applications losing their jobs. The Department has also been informed in writing of a personal attack, a threat and an incident of racist graffiti found on a free school site.
	A recent article in TheSunday Times included some figures involved with free schools speaking about their experiences dealing with instances of intimidation and threats. This article is here:
	http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/education/article1227033.ece
	There was a further article in the Telegraph written by the Chair of Governors of a free school in which they detailed their experience of dealing with hostile attention. The article is here:
	http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100203533/michael-gove-writes-open-letter-to-the-information-commissioner-about-free-schools/
	Where we have concerns that incidents involved potentially illegal activity, we have checked whether the group has contacted the police.

Free Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what monitoring is undertaken by his Department to ensure that free schools do not discriminate against applicants with disabilities.

Edward Timpson: Free schools are public authorities. As such, they are subject to section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 and must have due regard to the aims of the Public Sector Equality Duty.
	Free schools are required by their funding agreement to abide by the School Admissions Code 2012 and the law relating to admissions. Paragraph 3 of the Annex to the Admissions Code states that:
	“An admission authority must not discriminate on the grounds of disability; gender reassignment; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex or sexual orientation, against a person in the arrangements and decisions it makes as to who is offered admission as a pupil.”
	The Department's guidance to groups considering applying to open a free school makes clear that free schools must adopt fair admissions practices and arrangements, in accordance with the Admissions Code and the School Admissions Appeals Code.

Free Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance to free schools to ensure that interviews for places do not take place during the school day.

Edward Timpson: Free schools are required by their funding agreement to abide by the School Admissions Code 2012 and the law relating to admissions. Paragraph 1.9 (m) of the Admissions Code prohibits schools from interviewing children or parents.
	The Department's guidance to groups considering applying to open a free school makes clear that free schools must adopt fair admissions practices and arrangements, in accordance with the Admissions Code and the School Admissions Appeals Code.

Free Schools

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what monitoring his Department undertakes to ensure that free schools do not select pupils on the basis of SATs results.

Edward Timpson: Free schools are required by their funding agreement to abide by the School Admissions Code 2012 and the law relating to admissions. Paragraph 1.9 (d) of the Admissions Code prohibits the introduction of selection by ability. Paragraph 1.9 (g) prohibits schools from taking account of
	‘reports from previous schools about children's past behaviour, attendance, attitude or achievement'.
	The Department's guidance to groups considering applying to open a free school makes clear that free schools must adopt fair admissions practices and arrangements, in accordance with the Admissions Code and the School Admissions Appeals Code.

Private Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of changes in the level of government regulation of independent schools during the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The level of government regulation of independent schools has remained broadly constant over the last five years. In 2010 new standards regulations were made, but these were based very closely on the previous standards.
	From 1 January 2013, additional requirements relating to the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils were introduced but at the same time the standard for premises was simplified, and information requirements were relaxed to allow cheaper, electronic communication with parents.
	Our aim is to keep regulation of independent schools at the lowest level consistent with ensuring that pupils are safe and properly educated.

Schools: Sports

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to primary schools on the teaching of swimming.

Edward Timpson: The Government are committed to ensuring that swimming takes place in schools. Swimming is an important part of the national curriculum, which requires that all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided, and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of key stage 2 (age 11). It also requires that a child can demonstrate an understanding of water safety. The Secretary of State for Education has said that following the current review swimming will remain compulsory in the national curriculum.
	We do not prescribe how teachers should teach swimming, or any other subject, as we believe that individual schools and teachers are best placed to decide how to address the particular needs of their pupils.

Schools: Sports

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to primary schools in relation to the spending of ring-fenced funds for physical education and sport.

Edward Timpson: Advice about the nature, purpose and extent of the additional ring-fenced funding to support physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools was placed on the Department's website immediately following the announcement by the Prime Minister on 16 March. This advice includes lists of possible activities to support the provision of PE and sport, and can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/b00222858/primary-school-sport-funding
	We will also publish a range of best practice examples from schools with a proven track record of delivering high quality PE and sport. Further advice will be included with information about the conditions of grant that will accompany the payment to schools.
	Schools can also draw on support from County Sports Partnerships to help them improve the range and quantity of their offer of PE and sport.

Sign Language

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users.

Edward Timpson: All public bodies, including schools, early years providers, post-16 institutions and local authorities, have duties towards disabled people, including those who are deaf and use British Sign Language (BSL), under the Equality Act 2010. The Department publishes guidance for schools on these duties(1).
	Schools and local authorities have crucial responsibilities to ensure support, including sign language support, is available to deaf children.
	The Children and Families Bill will encourage a more joined-up approach to supporting deaf children and the provision of clearer information on the support that families can expect locally. The Bill will introduce the option of a personal budget for some parents and young people, which will give them more control over the support they receive.
	The Department does not use British Sign Language for direct service provision but provides a Typetalk service for the deaf and hearing impaired and also offers translation services.
	(1)http://education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/advice/f00215460/equality-act-2010-departmental-advice

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much direct funding his Department provided to each civil society organisation it funded in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; how much he expects to provide to each such organisation in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: The Department's central register of grants does not identify recipients as civil society organisations but does identify them as members of the voluntary and community sector (VCS). Details of funding for VCS organisations for 2011-13 is available online at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/delivery/funding/a0077703/grant-funded-projects-early-years-and-childcare
	Details for funding for 2013-15 is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/families/a00216108/vcs-funding
	The VCS also receives money indirectly from the Department through a number of routes, including through Executive Agencies (and previously arm’s length bodies), through the money the Department gives to local authorities, and through services commissioned by schools.

PRIME MINISTER

Food Banks

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Prime Minister if the Government will record and publish the number of referrals to food banks made by government agencies bi-annually in (a) Greater London and (b) the UK.

Esther McVey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	Civil society has always played a role in helping the worst off.
	To better enable this the Government reversed the decision of the previous Government not to signpost claimants to food banks through Jobcentre Plus. Statistics are not currently collected on the number of referrals to food banks. As with all policy this is kept under review.

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his letter to the leaders of the UK's Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories of 20 May 2013 on tax information exchange and beneficial ownership, whether he has received any replies to that letter; and if he will publish any replies received in full.

David Cameron: I have placed a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
	We expect the UK's Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories to make their policies clear publicly.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blyth Valley (Mr Campbell) on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1251.

HEALTH

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of repeat abortions; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of these measures;
	(2)  what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of abortions carried out on girls under the age of 16; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of such measures.

Anna Soubry: The Government's ‘Framework for Sexual Health Improvement’, published in March this year, contained an ambition to reduce unwanted pregnancy in women of all ages. The document highlights that there is evidence that provision of contraception, particularly long acting methods of contraception, supplied or fitted by the abortion provider can reduce repeat abortions. It also highlights the evidence base for reducing teenage conceptions and why it is vital to continue to make progress in this area. The Department will review progress on all the ambitions in the Framework and a wider set of indicators, including repeat abortions and teenage conceptions, on an annual basis.
	In the past five years, 2007-11, there has been a 21.3% decrease in the under-16 abortion rate in England. Continuing to reduce the rate of under-18 conceptions is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 5 March 2013, Official Report, column 938W, on abortion, what progress has been made in (a) cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service, (b) prosecutions commenced, (c) random inspections of licensed abortion centres and (d) other follow-up steps following the chief medical officer's letter to abortion providers sent in February 2012.

Anna Soubry: The Crown Prosecution Service has reviewed the evidence and decided not to take further action against some individuals investigated for sex selection abortions. Other investigations continue and we will consider if any further action is required once investigations are fully concluded.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is exploring how it can strengthen the registration process alongside regular inspection activity. The CQC has put in place procedures to identify if pre-signing or other instances of non-compliance are taking place and will review these as part of their inspection activity.
	The CQC and the Department will continue to act on information received in relation to any allegations of non-compliance with aspects of the Abortion Act 1967 and related regulations. This may include random inspections.
	All allegations of abortions failing to comply with the Abortion Act 1967 are taken very seriously; an allegation of an illegal abortion should be reported to the police, who should conduct a full investigation.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which accident and emergency units each Minister in his Department has visited since their date of appointment; and what the date of each such visit was.

Daniel Poulter: The following table provides details of the visits undertaken by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) and his ministerial team to accident and emergency units in an official capacity since their respective dates of appointment.
	
		
			  Date A&E units 
			 Secretary of State (Mr Hunt) 3 April 2013 St Thomas Hospital, London 
			  11 April 2013 Watford General Hospital, Watford 
			  18 April 2013 George Elliot Hospital, Nuneaton 
			  9 May 2013 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London 
			  23 May 2013 University College Hospital, London 
			    
			 Minister of State (Norman Lamb) 13 November 2012 Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham 
			  25 January 2013 James Paget University Hospital Norfolk 
			    
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Poulter) 25 October 2012 The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester 
			  6 November 2012 Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham 
			  20 December 2012 The Homerton Hospital, London 
			  21 March 2013 Grantham and District Hospital, Grantham 
			  17 January 2013 Sheffield Children's Hospital, Sheffield 
			  16 May 2013 Kidderminster Hospital, Kidderminster 
			   In addition to a number of visits to urgent assessment centres 
			    
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) 12 April 2011 Royal United Hospital, Bath 
			  20 April 2011 Darlington Memorial Hospital, Darlington 
			  9 January 2012 St Mary's Hospital, Isle of Wight 
			  17 April 2013 William Harvey Hospital, Kent

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether members of the boards of clinical commissioning groups have to declare membership of political parties.

Anna Soubry: The National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, sets out the clear requirements on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in relation to registers of interests and managing conflicts of interest.
	Under section 140 CCGs are responsible for maintaining registers of interests of the members of its boards. However, it does not specify that membership of a political party should be declared on these registers. CCGs should also make arrangements for managing conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest/to ensure they do not affect or appear to affect the integrity of their decision-making process.
	NHS England is responsible for supporting CCGs to manage conflicts of interest, and has produced guidance setting out the statutory requirements and principles for managing conflicts of interest. The guidance is available at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ccg-conflict-int-guide.pdf

Dementia

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the new dementia diagnosis targets for each Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) showing the (a) CCG name and code, (b) CCG current diagnosis rate, (c) CCG diagnosis rate ambition for 2013-14 and (d) CCG diagnosis rate ambition for 2014-15.

Norman Lamb: Data on clinical commissioning group (CCG) ambitions for improving diagnosis rates through to 2014-15 have been provided by NHS England and have been placed in the Library.
	The current CCG diagnosis rates, derived from primary care trust 2011-12 data are available at:
	www.dementiaprevalencecalculator.org.uk
	The diagnosis rates are illustrated at CCG level; the data are not available as a list of CCGs in spreadsheet format.
	NHS England will support CCGs to learn from each other and to support professional insight into the benefits of timely diagnosis for dementia sufferers.
	NHS England has an ambition to ensure that two-thirds of people with dementia are identified and given appropriate support by 2015. Further details are available at:
	http://www.england.nhs.uk/2013/05/15/dementia-targets/

Dementia

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to review the National Dementia Strategy for England.

Norman Lamb: The National Dementia Strategy runs until 2014, and the Prime Minister's Challenge on Dementia, which builds on progress made on the strategy, runs until 2015.
	On 15 May 2013, a report on progress in delivering improvements in dementia care and research was published. A further report is planned for 2014.

Health Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on providing advice on diet and lifestyle with the objective of reducing the number of hospital admissions.

Anna Soubry: Government advice on a healthy balanced diet is encapsulated in the United Kingdom's national food guide, ‘the eatwell plate', which is based on long term epidemiological studies, which show that this type of diet can help prevent diet related chronic disease.
	The Government support a number of healthy eating initiatives, which help and encourage people to improve their health and well being. This includes the Change4life campaign, 5 a day scheme, Public Health Responsibility Deal, Healthy Start scheme and through the NHS Choices consumer based information website.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the longest waiting time in days for patients in (a) England and (b) London was for (i) fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract and biopsy of lesion of upper gastrointestinal tract, (ii) computed tomography of head, (iii) insertion of prosthetic replacement for lens NEC, (iv) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of bladder, (v) computerised tomography NEC, (vi) continuous intravenous infusion of therapeutic substance NEC, (vii) unspecified diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract, (viii) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of colon, (ix) diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of colon and biopsy of lesion of colon and (x) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of lower bowel using fibreoptic sigmoidoscope in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13;
	(2)  what the (a) number of total finished consultant episodes, (b) mean waiting time and (c) median waiting time was for (i) fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract and biopsy of lesion of upper gastrointestinal tract, (ii) computed tomography of head, (iii) insertion of prosthetic replacement for lens NEC, (iv) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of bladder, (v) computerised tomography NEC, (vi) continuous intravenous infusion of therapeutic substance NEC, (vii) unspecified diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of upper gastrointestinal tract, (viii) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of colon, (ix) diagnostic fibreoptic endoscopic examination of colon and biopsy of lesion of colon and (x) unspecified diagnostic endoscopic examination of lower bowel using fibreoptic sigmoidoscope in London in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not collect these data for individual procedures. The information available for these procedures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre has been placed in the Library.

Human Trafficking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital bed spaces for persons who have undergone human trafficking have been available in each of the last 10 years; and what the projected number of such beds is in each of the next three years.

Anna Soubry: The Department recognises that the impact of human trafficking on victims is significant for both mental health and physical health.
	Information on the number of hospital bed spaces available for individuals under criteria such as ‘for persons who have undergone human trafficking’ is not collected in the national health service.

Lyxumia

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the diabetes drug Lyxumia.

Norman Lamb: Lyxumia contains the active ingredient lixisenatide and was authorised as a medicine by the European Commission in February 2013.
	The data supporting the quality, safety and efficacy of Lyxumia have been fully assessed and the benefit/risk profile is considered positive in the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus when used in combination with other glucose lowering medicines and/or insulin.
	The supporting data were assessed by the Committee on Human Medicinal Products (of the European Medicines Agency) and in which the United Kingdom is represented.

Mental Health Services

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will assess the potential effects on NHS waiting times for mindfulness-based cognitive therapy courses of opening up the market to those who provide the course to clients who pay;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the (a) NHS and (b) private provider waiting time for patients with depresssion in Sussex for the mindfulness based cognitive therapy course;
	(3)  if he will make an assessment of the potential effects on accident and emergency departments of the prescription of the NICE-recommended mindfulness-based cognitive therapy courses for patients with anxiety and depression;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of trends in the number of prescriptions written for antidepressants since the launch of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

Norman Lamb: No assessment is currently planned to assess the impact, if any, of the potential effects of opening up the market to private providers on national health service waiting times for mindfulness-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) courses. No assessments are currently planned to evaluate the potential effects on accident and emergency departments, of the prescription of mindfulness-based CBT for patients with anxiety and depression; or trends in the number of prescriptions written for antidepressants since the launch of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
	The number of people waiting 28 days or more for IAPT treatment across the three primary care trusts in Sussex has been reducing steadily from 6,792 (as of 30 June 2012) to 5,296 (as of 31 December 2012), the most recent date for which figures are available. These figures are for IAPT treatment and not confined to people waiting for mindfulness-based approaches and include people with depression and people with anxiety disorders.
	We do not keep figures centrally for private provider waiting times for patients with depression in Sussex.

Midwives

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's recommended ratio of mothers to midwives is; and what information his Department holds on which health authorities have not employed sufficient midwives to meet that recommended level.

Daniel Poulter: Under the current Government, midwife numbers have increased by over 1,300, and there are record numbers of midwives in training.
	The Department does not recommend a midwife-to- births ratio. The midwife-to-births ratio is an indication of throughput only, and does not indicate the safety, quality or outcome of the service provided.
	It is the responsibility of national health service organisations to ensure high quality care and choice for women in pregnancy and during childbirth. However, the Government are committed to giving mothers the support and care they need throughout their pregnancy, birth and after birth. Safety and high quality care for mothers are at the heart of maternity services.
	Health Education England will ensure that overall the work force has the right skills, behaviours and training, and is available in the right numbers, to support the delivery of excellent health care and drive health improvement. Local Education and Training Boards have reported that their service provider partners are actively engaged in reviewing the level and mix of nursing and related health care staffing, including midwives, in response to a range of factors including higher activity than forecast. In parallel organisations will be considering issues associated with productivity to ensure staffing levels are both safe and affordable.

Midwives

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student midwives there have been in each year for which data is available since 1983.

Daniel Poulter: The following table contains the earliest data available for training places commissioned for student midwives each year. Record numbers of midwives are currently in training.
	
		
			 NHS midwifery training places commissioned since 2000 
			  2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Degree 494 621 709 753 895 891 983 1,307 1,944 1,977 2,034 2,052 2,160 
			 Diploma 604 525 724 716 744 397 540 412 0 0 0 0 0 
			 18 months 789 732 677 757 735 531 467 352 328 505 424 432 418 
			 Total 1,887 1,878 2,110 2,226 2,374 1,819 1,990 2,071 2,272 2,482 2,488 2,484 2,527 
			 Note: Midwifery training became degree only from 2008-09. The 18 month training is a conversion course. Source: Quarterly Monitoring Return

NHS 111

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls NHS 111 received in each week since 1 April 2013; how many of these calls were answered; and how long, on average, it took for such calls to be answered in each such week.

Anna Soubry: This information is not held in the format requested. However, NHS England will publish April's monthly NHS 111 Minimum Data Set on 7 June. This will show data for the whole of the month.
	It is for clinical commissioning groups, with their local clinicians, and supported by NHS England, to continue to work with all parts of their urgent care system to improve responsiveness and quality of the services locally.

Quality of Care and Treatment Provided by 14 Hospital Trusts in England Review

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made for the Keogh Review team to meet hon. Members whose constituencies are served by hospitals being investigated by that Review; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Professor Sir Bruce Keogh met with hon. Members on 23 April 2013 regarding his review into the quality of care and treatment provided by 14 hospital trusts in England. This meeting was hosted by my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Steve Baker).
	Following the meeting, Professor Keogh wrote to all hon. Members whose constituencies were predominantly served by one of the 14 trusts involved in the review, including those who were unable to attend the meeting in April. The letter provided hon. Members with contact details through which they could raise further queries about the review.
	We understand that Professor Keogh is working to ensure that all hon. Members whose constituencies are affected by the review are offered a briefing on its findings in advance of the final reports being published.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Employment Tribunals Service

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent assessment she has made of the effects on (a) all women and (b) women bringing pregnancy-related cases of the introduction of fees for employment tribunals.

Helen Grant: There is no evidence to suggest that introducing fees into the employment tribunals will disadvantage or deter women from bringing claims, including discrimination or pregnancy-related claims. The aim of introducing fees is to transfer some of the cost of administering the tribunals from the taxpayer to the users of the service.
	For those who cannot afford fees, a fee remission scheme will operate to ensure access to the tribunal is not affected. Women are more likely to fall into the lower income brackets so they are more likely to qualify for partial or full fee remissions. As a consequence they are unlikely to be detrimentally impacted by the introduction of fees.
	Further detail is available in the equality impact assessment completed by the Government relating to the introduction of fees in employment tribunals that can be found here:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/et-fee-charging-regime-cp22-2011

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Public Lending Right

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she is considering extending the public lending right to (a) ebooks whether borrowed remotely or on library premises, (b) audio books borrowed remotely or on library premises and (c) all volunteer libraries; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Government response to William Sieghart’s review of e-lending in public libraries in England was published on 27 March 2013 and sets out the Government's position in terms of extending public lending right (PLR) to audiobooks and e-books:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-independent-review-of-e-lending-in-public-libraries-in-england
	Any proposal for the potential extension of PLR will be communicated in due course, following full consideration of this matter.
	A statement relating to how PLR applies to community-supported libraries is available on the Government's website on the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/public-lending-right-how-it-applies

Written Questions: Government Responses

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to answer Question 156335, tabled by the hon. Member for Reading East (Mr Wilson) on 15 May 2013 for answer on 20 May 2013.

Hugh Robertson: The question was answered on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 802W.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Lord Heseltine Review

David Ward: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he has made on the implementation of the Heseltine Review.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Ian Swales), and the Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Eric Ollerenshaw), at oral questions on 4 June 2013, Official Report, column 1097W.

CABINET OFFICE

Government Departments: Procurement

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1096W, on Government Departments: procurement, what proportion of Government contracts were awarded to small and medium-sized businesses (a) directly and (b) through supply chains in 2012-13.

Chloe Smith: Departments publish details of their spend with SMEs on a quarterly basis.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such sums were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought;
	(2)  how much the Deputy Prime Minister's Office spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(3)  how much the Deputy Prime Minister's Office spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(4)  what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Deputy Prime Minister's Office since 7 May 2010 was;
	(5)  what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by No. 10 Downing Street were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought;
	(6)  how much No. 10 Downing Street spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(7)  how much No. 10 Downing Street spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(8)  what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by No. 10 Downing Street since 7 May 2010 was.

Francis Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the right hon. Member to the answers I gave on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 960W, and 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 474W.

National Identity

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in England and Wales described their national identity in their 2011 Census return as (a) Scottish, (b) British and (c) Scottish and British.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many people in England and Wales described their national identity in their 2011 Census return as (a) Scottish, (b) British and (c) Scottish and British. 158320
	The figures below have been extracted from 2011 Census table KS202EW
	
		
			 National identity Number of people 
			 All usual residents 56,075,912 
			 Scottish only 434,951 
			 British only 10,690,999 
			 Scottish and British only 83,412

Roads: Accidents

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will consider counting in crime statistics road traffic accident victims, including victims of law breaking drivers.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about whether road traffic accident victims, including victims of law breaking drivers, will be counted in crime statistics. 157715
	Responsibility for the publication of the National Statistics on crime for England and Wales transferred from the Home Office to the ONS on 1 April 2012 and so it is now for ONS to decide on the coverage of such statistics.
	Victims of law breaking drivers who are involved in road traffic accidents should already be covered by the main recorded crime collection if the incident comes to the attention of the police, but the number of offences is not separately identifiable.
	The basis of crime statistics is to record incidents which are criminal on an offence type basis according to criminal law. Thus the police will record what offence has been committed rather than by the means by which it was committed. As such, there is no way of identifying all road traffic accident victims of law breaking drivers as they will be included in a range of offence types.
	The recorded crime collection has the specific following offences:
	Causing death by dangerous driving
	Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs
	Causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
	In addition, the police recorded crime collection also includes the offence of 'dangerous driving'. Within that category it is not possible to separately identify those incidents involving a victim of a road accident from those where there was no accident (for example reckless driving that did not result in an accident or injury to a specific victim).
	It is also possible that a small number of victims of road traffic accidents will be included within other categories of recorded crime, such as 'assault with injury' where the police decide that the intent of a driver was to inflict injury on a victim. However, it is not possible to separately identify such incidents as these are aggregated with other assaults.
	It would not be possible to count separately the number of victims of law breaking drivers who are involved in road traffic accidents without fundamentally changing the basis of crime statistics. Our users place great value on having a consistent time series and so we have no plans to change the basis upon which crime statistics are collected.
	The Department of Transport publishes a regular set of statistics on the full range of road traffic accidents including, for example, where an injury results as well as data on traffic incidents involving alcohol and breath tests.

Sexual Offences

Stella Creasy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish in full the data on which table 2.7, Prevalence of being a victim of a sexual offence in the last 12 months among females aged 16 to 59 in An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales, published on 10 January 2013, was based.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department asking whether the data upon which Table 2.7 in the publication 'An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales', is based, will be published in full. (158392)
	The Table in question is based on analysis of the Crime Survey for England and Wales, a sample survey of the population resident in households. The level of detail at which results are published depends on a range of factors including demand from users and sample size. For example, the survey is not designed to provide estimates at sub-national level and so the sample is not large enough to produce reliable estimates at police force area or lower geographical levels.
	In line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, ONS releases anonymised record level data to the UK Data Archive, so that others can undertake their own analyses.
	ONS also provide an ad hoc tabulation service where we are able to respond to requests for additional breakdowns of data where the costs in responding are proportionate and respondent confidentiality can be preserved.

Social Action Fund

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department had with the Social Investment Business Group about the funding of the Big Society Network via the Social Action Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/ministers-transparency-publications
	Cabinet Office officials have held various discussions with the Social Investment Business Group.
	In line with the practice of previous Administrations, details of discussions are not normally disclosed.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what detention facilities exist under United Kingdom control at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan; how many non-UK national detainees are held at that facility; and what the longest period any single individual has been detained without charge is at that facility.

Philip Hammond: The precise number of detainees held at these facilities fluctuates. However, I can confirm there are approximately 90 individuals currently being held pending transfer to the Afghan authorities. We do not comment on the details of individual cases. However, since November 2012 transfers to the Afghan authorities have been suspended due to concerns about potential treatment of detainees. The suspension has led to a significant increase in the number of detainees held at the Temporary Holding Facilities at Camp Bastion.
	I can inform the hon. Member that the Ministry of Defence has now established a safe route of transfer to the Afghan National Detention Facility at Parwan and accordingly these concerns have been resolved with a new pathway for transfer now in place.
	I have agreed to restart the transfer of detainees captured by British forces into the Afghan judicial system at that facility and have notified interested parties of the intention to resume transfers after 21 days. Provided no judicial intervention prevents the resumption of transfers, I would expect the number of detainees held at the Temporary Holding Facilities at Camp Bastion to fall rapidly over the next few weeks.

Air Force: Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) air commodores, (b) air vice marshals, (c) air marshals and (d) air chief marshals are posted in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England.

Andrew Murrison: Senior military personnel are distributed across the UK according to military capability requirements, not on a proportional basis.
	The numbers of UK regular Royal Air Force officers at the rank of air commodore, air vice marshal, air marshal and air chief marshal, by location as at 1 April 2013 are provided in the following table. There are no RAF officers in the rank of air commodore or above permanently based in Wales or Northern Ireland.
	
		
			 RAF Officers Number 
			 UK 94 
			 OF-6 Air Commodore 63 
			 OF-7 Air Vice Marshal 22 
			 OF-8 Air Marshal 7 
			 OF-9 Air Chief Marshal 2 
			   
			 Scotland 2 
			 OF-6 Air Commodore 1 
			 OF-7 Air Vice Marshal 0 
			 OF-8 Air Marshal 1 
			 OF-9 Air Chief Marshal 0 
			   
			 England 92 
			 OF-6 Air Commodore 62 
			 OF-7 Air Vice Marshal 22 
			 OF-8 Air Marshal 6 
			 OF-9 Air Chief Marshal 2 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are for UK regular forces. 2. UK regular forces data are sourced from the joint personnel administration (JPA) system. Location data are based on the stationed location of the individual as recorded in the ‘assignment location’ field of the JPA system. The figures are based on service personnel’s stationed location and not their location of residence—where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location.

Aircraft Carriers

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies have been awarded sub-contracts for construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales; at which sites he expects work under each such contract to be carried out; and what the monetary value is of each such contract.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 November 2012, Official Report, column 349W, to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Thomas Docherty). An updated list of sub-contracts will be placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Public Transport

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the 10 most frequently undertaken journeys on domestic public transport by military personnel were in 2012.

Andrew Murrison: The most frequent journeys in 2012 were:
	Andover—London
	Catterick Garrison—Darlington
	Bristol—London
	High Wycombe—London
	Chippenham—London
	London—Swindon
	Portsmouth Harbour—London
	Salisbury—London
	London—Princes Risborough
	London—Newark
	The list only provides details of travel booked through the Hogg Robinson Group contract with the Ministry of Defence. Any travel booked and paid for outside the contract is not included. The travel will include duty journeys, meetings, courses, postings, resettlement, medicals etc.

Army: Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) brigadiers, (b) major generals, (c) lieutenant generals and (d) generals are posted in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England.

Andrew Murrison: Senior military personnel are distributed across the UK according to military capability requirements, not on a proportional basis.
	The number of UK Regular Army Brigadiers, Major Generals, Lieutenant Generals and Generals posted in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England as at 1 April 2013 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 UK 173 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 124 
			 OF-7 Major General 36 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 10 
			 OF-9 General 3 
			   
			 Scotland 4 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 2 
			 OF-7 Major General 2 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 0 
			 OF-9 General 0 
			   
			 Wales 1 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 1 
			 OF-7 Major General 0 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 0 
			 OF-9 General 0 
			   
			 Northern Ireland 2 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 2 
			 OF-7 Major General 0 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 0 
			 OF-9 General 0 
			   
			 England 166 
			 OF-6 Brigadier 119 
			 OF-7 Major General 34 
			 OF-8 Lieutenant General 10 
			 OF-9 General 3 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are for UK regular forces. 2. UK regular forces data are sourced from joint personnel administration (JPA) system. Location data is based on the station location of the individual as recorded in the ‘Assignment Location field' of the JPA system. The figures are based on service personnel's station location and not the location of residence—where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. Source: Defence Statistics (Tri-Service)

East Asia

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence attaché posts in East Asia have been closed since May 2010.

Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has not closed any defence attaché posts in East Asia since May 2010.

East Asia

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which East Asian countries the UK has a defence attaché.

Andrew Murrison: Within east Asia the Ministry of Defence has defence attachés located in China, Japan and Korea. The defence attaché for China has non residential accreditation responsibility for Mongolia.

East Asia

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK capabilities are deployed in East Asia to protect shipping lanes.

Andrew Murrison: No UK capabilities are routinely deployed to East Asia to protect shipping lanes.
	As part of our commitment to the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA), the UK may on occasion deploy military capabilities to the East Asia region. When deployed, these assets will exercise and operate with our partners in the region, thereby contributing to better maritime security in the area.
	In addition, the Ministry of Defence also funds the training of our regional partners, both on a bilateral basis and by holding regional forums, in the responsibilities and obligations associated with the declaration of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), as well as the wider application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The next regional course will be held in the Philippines in September 2013 and will be attended by delegates from a number of countries in the region.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a second batch of F-35B Lightning II aircraft are included in the Single Integrated Capability Priority list.

Philip Dunne: Joint Strike Fighter (F-35) is a core funded programme and is not included in the Single Integrated Capability Priority list. A decision on F-35 aircraft numbers will not be made until after the next Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Military Alliances

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what military agreements the UK has with countries in East Asia;
	(2)  what military agreements the UK has with (a) China, (b) Japan, (c) Australia, (d) New Zealand, (e) South Korea and (f) Vietnam.

Andrew Murrison: The UK has the following principal military agreements and arrangements with countries in East Asia and the Pacific region:
	Japan: A Defence Co-operation MOU, an Agreement on Defence Exchanges and an Agreement on the Protection of Classified Information.
	Korea: A Mutual Logistics Support Agreement and an Agreement on the Protection of Classified Information. Additionally, although not a military bilateral agreement as such, the UK is one of the 16 signatories to the United Nations Declaration of 27 July 1953 that ended conflict on the Korean peninsula.
	Mongolia: Defence Co-operation MOU.
	Indonesia: Defence Co-operation MOU.
	Malaysia: Defence Co-operation MOU, an Arrangement on the Protection of Classified Information and a Status of Forces Agreement.
	Singapore: Research collaboration MOU, an Arrangement on the Protection of Classified Information, and a Status of Forces Agreement.
	Brunei: Garrison Agreement and a MOU on the Provision of Personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
	Tonga: MOU concerning Command and Control, Training and related support for the Tonga Defence Services contingents in Afghanistan.
	Vietnam: Defence related co-operation MOU.
	New Zealand: Defence Capability and Equipment co-operation MOU; Exchange Programme LONGLOOK.
	Australia: Defence Co-operation Treaty; Australia-UK MOU on Military Capability Harmonisation and Equipment Cooperation (AUMICE); Anglo-Australia MOU on Science and Technology (AAMOST); Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA); Military Geospatial Information and Services MOU (MGIS); Strategic Policy Partnership, Government Quality Assurance MOU; American, British, Canadian, Australian Armies Programme (ABCA), Air and Space Interoperability Council (ASIC); Exchange Programme LONGLOOK.
	In addition, we have a number of multilateral MOUs on information sharing with Australia and New Zealand.
	Along with Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore, the UK is a signatory to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements, signed in 1971.
	Along with the US, Australia, France, New Zealand, Thailand and the Philippines, the UK is a signatory to the Manila Pact.
	We have no military agreements with China.

Navy: Officers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy officers holding the rank of (a) commodore, (b) rear admiral, (c) vice admiral and (d) admiral are posted in (i) Scotland, (ii) Wales, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) England.

Andrew Murrison: Senior military personnel are distributed across the UK according to military capability requirements, not on a proportional basis.
	The following table sets out the numbers of UK Regular Royal Navy Officers at the rank of Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral and Admiral, by location as at 1 April 2013. There are no Naval Service officers in the rank of Commodore or above permanently based in Wales or Northern Ireland.
	
		
			  Naval Service Royal Marines Royal Navy 
			 UK 102 14 88 
			 OF6 Commodore/Brigadier 67 9 58 
			 OF7 Rear Admiral/Major General 26 4 22 
			 OF8 Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General 7 1 6 
			 OF9 Admiral(1) 2 0 2 
			     
			 Scotland 3 0 3 
			 OF6 Commodore/Brigadier 2 0 2 
			 OF7 Rear Admiral/Major General 1 0 1 
			 OF8 Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General 0 0 0 
			 OF9 Admiral 0 0 0 
			     
			 England 99 14 85 
			 OF6 Commodore/Brigadier 65 9 56 
			 OF7 Rear Admiral/Major General 25 4 21 
			 OF8 Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General 7 1 6 
			 OF9 Admiral(1) 2 0 2 
			 (1) There were two OF9 Admirals on 1 April 2013. This was reduced to one when Admiral Zambellas relieved Admiral Stanhope as First Sea Lord/Chief of Naval Staff in mid April. Notes: 1. Figures are for UK Regular Forces. 2. UK Regular Forces data are sourced from Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. Location data is based on the station location of the individual as recorded in the ‘Assignment Location field' of the JPA system. The figures are based on service personnel's station location and not the location of residence—where personnel work is not necessarily where they live. Personnel deployed on operations to an area away from their stationed location are shown against their most recent stationed location. Source: Defence Statistics (Tri-Service)

Veterans: Suicide

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will commission research into the level of suicides and attempted suicides among armed forces veterans;
	(2)  how many armed forces veterans have committed suicide in the last 10 years.

Andrew Murrison: Defence Statistics publish information on numbers and mortality rates for suicide and open verdict deaths among first Gulf war and Falkland veterans, compared to the mortality rates for suicide and open verdict deaths in the general UK population. For both first Gulf war and Falkland veterans, the risk of suicide and open verdict deaths is statistically significantly lower compared to the UK population.
	In 2006, the Ministry of Defence commissioned research from Manchester university to investigate the level of suicide among those leaving the UK armed forces over the period 1996 to 2005, and to compare matched personnel remaining in-service and the general population. This work was published in March 2009. The study found that, taking all age groups together, the risk of suicide was no higher than in the general community.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Cattle: Accidents

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he has made to supermarkets on encouraging them not to stock meat from breeds of cattle known to be more dangerous to walkers;
	(2)  what advice he publishes to assist farmers in choosing cattle breeds with regard to the safety of members of the public.

David Heath: DEFRA has discussed with the Health and Safety Executive, the National Farmers Union and breed societies the need to promote and strengthen guidance and advice for farmers, landowners and other livestock keepers on cattle and public access.
	The Health and Safety Executive has published guidance about the precautions to be taken with grazing cattle including ways to minimise the risk to the public, for example by the way of clear information and signage.
	The National Farmers Union's own guidance suggests that its members should make an assessment about the risks posed by livestock being kept in a field with a public right of way including such matters as whether the livestock are well-handled and used to people; whether the livestock have ever been known to react aggressively to people or dogs; whether cattle have very young calves at foot; and the route of the right of way through the field and the field conditions.
	The Countryside Code, issued by Natural England, includes guidance on walkers' rights and responsibilities when out in the countryside and in particular advice and information about the best approach to take if a walker with a dog finds themselves being threatened by cattle.
	DEFRA has not made representations to supermarkets to discourage them from stocking meat from breeds of cattle known to be more dangerous to walkers.

Cattle: Accidents

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons his Department has not published a list of dangerous cattle breeds.

David Heath: There is a list of seven breeds of dairy bull that are prohibited from land crossed by public rights of way in section 59 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Bulls of all other breeds, if aged over 10 months, are also banned from such fields unless accompanied by cows or heifers. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs may by order add or remove any breed from the list.
	There are no prohibitions on other specific breeds of cattle, as records kept by the Health and Safety Executive indicate that there is no evidence that certain cattle breeds are more dangerous to the public than others.
	Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires farmers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, they do not put members of the public at risk by their work activities. This section applies to keeping any cattle that could be a known risk where there is public access.

Floods: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of homes in London at risk of (a) flash flooding and (b) other forms of flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Flash flooding is caused by an intense rainfall event, and in London this would be experienced as surface water flooding. Drain London (the Greater London Authority group) has estimated that up to 1.3 million properties are in areas at risk of surface water flooding from a rainfall event with 0.5% probability of flooding.
	The Environment Agency's National Assessment of Flood Risk states that in London 534,804 properties are at risk from tidal and/or fluvial (river) flooding.

Food: Procurement

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of food purchased by central Government Departments was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not hold figures relating to the source of food purchased by central Government directly or indirectly through its contractors. Figures relating to the Department's own contract show that between July and December last year 100% of fresh beef, fresh lamb and fresh pork (apart from gammon) was UK sourced or produced. Gammon was EU sourced. We do not at present have information relating to other produce.

Raves

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what system his Department has put in place to monitor the number of illegal raves taking place on farms; and what advice his Department gives to farmers and local police forces on the prevention of illegal raves.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not have a system in place to monitor the number of illegal raves taking place on farms. There are sufficient legislative controls in place at a local level to deal with these illegal events. We do not give advice to farmers or local police on the prevention of illegal raves; dealing with them is an operational matter for the police and relevant local authorities.

Recycling

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures are in place to allow the Environment Agency to inspect sites with recycling permits.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 13 May 2013
	The Environment Agency has a duty to carry out appropriate periodic inspections of waste recycling facilities. It adopts a risk-based approach to inspection and other forms of compliance assessment and does so based on an assessment of the nature, scale and location of the activity and any previous compliance history. The Environment Agency has powers of entry to the sites it regulates.
	Copies of all inspection records are provided to the site operator and also placed on a public register held by the Environment Agency.

Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department;
	(2)  what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; and which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended;
	(3)  if he will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by his Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA introduced 192 statutory instruments between May 2010 and 30 April 2013 but no primary legislation. In addition, 211 regulations were revoked either in whole or in part. A list of these has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Details of the costs to business are set out in the individual Impact Assessments which can be found on:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk
	where they are linked to the legislation.
	Not all regulations require an Impact Assessment and therefore no costs are available for these regulations. Those regulations annotated with * denote those which did not require an Impact Assessment.
	Regulations that have a direct cost to business and are in scope of one-in, one-out (OIOO) and one-in, two-out (OITO) are published in Departments’ six-monthly statements of new regulation (SNR). These are available from BIS here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-the-impact-of-regulation-on-business/supporting-pages/operating-a-one-in-two-out-rule-for-business-regulation
	DEFRA carries out regular reviews of its regulations as specified in individual pieces of legislation. Typically, these are between five to seven years after implementation depending on whether the legislation is domestic or EU in origin.
	Under the Red Tape Challenge initiative DEFRA has reviewed approximately 600 regulations, the majority under two themes, “environment” and “water and marine”. The outcomes of these reviews to date, including DEFRA’s implementation plan for environment, are available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs/series/better-regulation-red-tape-challenge
	The water and marine implementation plan is to be published shortly.

Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last met (a) the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and (b) any other Scottish Government Minister; and what was discussed at any such meeting.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), last met with (a) the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, at the devolved Administration meeting on 20 May 2013 to discuss a range of issues.
	He also met (b) the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Peter Wheelhouse, at the same meeting.

Wood: Recycling

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the market for recycled wood.

Richard Benyon: holding answer 13 May 2013
	According to WRAP'S 2011 market situation report, wood recycling in the UK increased by 8% in 2008, 4% in 2009 and 7% in 2010 but shows a 5% reduction in 2011. This reduction in wood recycling could be a result of an increase in wood waste exports, which accounted for 194,000 tonnes in 2010 and 654,000 tonnes in 2011.
	
		
			  2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 Total recycled/recovered in UK (thousand tonnes) 1,886 2,031 2,111 2,250 2,148 
			 Percentage change — 8 4 7 -5 
		
	
	Research carried out by WRAP shows that the total amount of wood waste produced in the UK each year is in the region of 4.1 million tonnes. Wood waste going to landfill in the UK accounts for 1 million to 1.2 million tonnes. Our most recent analysis in the call for evidence shows approximately 0.6 million tonnes of wood waste going to landfill in England.

JUSTICE

Contracts

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what amount was spent in total on the prisoner transit contract in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13;
	(2)  what total amount was paid to (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) GEOAmey and (e) Capita for all services undertaken on behalf of his Department in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice has spent the following on the Prisoner Transit contract:
	
		
			 Financial year Contract spend (£) 
			 2012-13 131,765,033.71 
			 2011-12 140,566,638.44 
			 2010-11 163,467,961.09 
		
	
	The MOJ has paid the following amounts for services provided by the following suppliers; G4S, Serco, Sodexo, GeoAmey and Capita.
	
		
			 Net amount (£) 
			 Supplier 2012-13 2011-12 2010-11 
			 The Capita Group plc 33,929,923.25 27,752,045.79 4,714,301.31 
			 G4S plc 282,564,373.61 231,609,740.91 277,169,500.20 
			 Sodexo 99,651,600.15 96,637,591.09 94,994,764.73 
			 Serco Group plc 229,434,045.80 210,435,183.12 201,895,382.93 
			 GEOAmey PECS Ltd 91,277,154.45 47,494,140.77 — 
		
	
	All reported figures are for contractual spend only.

Hillsborough Stadium

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he had had with the Director of Public Prosecutions about the possible effect his resignation will have on the pending inquiries into individuals and organisations involved in the investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

Helen Grant: I have not had any discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions on this matter. The Home Office is responsible for the pending police investigations into the Hillsborough disaster.

Human Rights

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the EU's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights on the enforcement of human rights in the UK.

Damian Green: EU accession to the European convention on human rights will enable human rights obligations to be enforced against the EU and its institutions. As a result, they will be liable to legal action in the European Court of Human Rights for breach of convention rights. Protocol 8 to the European treaties provides that the accession agreement will not affect the situation of member states in relation to the convention. It does not change the competences of the EU or the powers of its institutions.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposals outlined in his Department's consultation on transforming legal aid on the quality of legal advice provided under legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: The Government have consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone's right to a fair trial—but that does not mean we should not look again at how the system which provides this is operated. Quality assured duty solicitors and lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure, as part of the tendering process, that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas. Our proposals envisage a quality review which is more extensive than that in the current system.
	The issue of quality is addressed further in the criminal litigation price competition impact assessment which can be downloaded from the consultation web page:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid
	In that impact assessment we comment on the potential impact of quality by the removal of client choice.
	We will consider the views we have received on the proposed model of competition, including the impact of those proposals on clients, provider and the wider justice system.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the compatibility of the removal of client choice for criminal legal aid in the criminal justice system with the United Nations' Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid.

Jeremy Wright: The Government have recently consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This includes a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. As confirmed in that consultation paper, against a background of continuing pressure on public finances, we need to continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year.
	We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone's right to a fair trial. Quality assured lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure as part of the tendering process that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas.
	The Government consider that the proposals are compatible with the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to cap the number of cases receiving access to legal aid in each of the 42 procurement areas set out in the Transforming Legal Aid review.

Jeremy Wright: The Government have consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The proposals, if implemented, would not see an introduction of a cap for Criminal Legal Aid and, as such, Criminal Legal Aid will continue to be available for all eligible persons should they require it in all 42 procurement areas.

Legal Aid Scheme

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to mitigate any risks to the quality of service received by legal aid recipients through the proposed removal of client choice.

Jeremy Wright: The Government have consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4 June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	Quality assured duty solicitors and lawyers will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency would ensure as part of the tendering process that all providers are capable of delivering the full range of criminal legal aid services under contract across their procurement areas. Our proposals envisage a quality review which is more extensive than that in the current system.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on what dates the provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 relating to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 were initially scheduled to enter into force; whether this date has subsequently been changed; and for what reason any such change has been made.

Jeremy Wright: The essential prerequisite for the commencement of the reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is to put in place a system for producing basic disclosure certificates, which show unspent convictions, which reflects the new rehabilitation periods for England and Wales. Until we do that there would be no way for an individual to obtain an official statement of their unspent convictions under the new rules.
	Currently, basic disclosures reflecting the existing rehabilitation periods are only available from Disclosure Scotland and this service is provided to residents of England and Wales as well as Scotland. However, the reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act only revise rehabilitation periods for England and Wales, leaving the position in Scotland unchanged under its legislation. This complicates matters and creates two different rehabilitation regimes within the UK, which means that there are significant business and technical issues to work through.
	The Government are considering the best option for implementing these important changes with Disclosure Scotland and the Disclosure and Barring Service and aim to have the reforms in place at the earliest possible point.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the National Offender Management Service is taking to improve opportunities for imprisonment for public protection prisoners to progress towards release.

Jeremy Wright: The primary concern of the Government with regard to prisoners serving indeterminate sentences is that of protecting the public.
	The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 introduced a new sentencing framework for dangerous offenders. The Indeterminate Sentence for Public Protection (IPP) was abolished for offenders convicted before 3 December 2012 and was replaced by the new Extended Determinate sentence (EDS) and supporting regime. However, the abolition of the IPP sentence has not been applied retrospectively. Therefore, prisoners serving an IPP sentence will remain in custody after they have completed their tariff until the Parole Board directs their release. In making its decisions, the Parole Board will continue to apply the terms of the existing statutory release test.
	The population of IPP prisoners has now begun to decrease. This can be explained by the abolition of the sentence which means that no new IPP sentences are given for those convicted on or after 3 December 2012, and the increasing number of releases.
	The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) continues to help IPP prisoners to address successfully the risks evident in their offending, so that, where they do, the Parole Board may decide that those offenders may now be effectively managed in the community. No longer do just accredited courses enable offenders to move on, Offender Managers and Offender Supervisors must provide the Parole Board with a comprehensive assessment of the work undertaken to address offenders' risks—and of offenders' engagement with that work.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the direct resource outturn expenditure was for each public sector prison in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2012-13.

Jeremy Wright: As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of direct resource outturn expenditure for each private and public sector prison in England and Wales after the end of the financial year. The information for financial year 2009-10 to 2010-11 is published as an Addendum to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts and available on the Department's website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-performance-statistics-2009-2011
	For financial year 2011-12 figures are published on the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-2011-12
	Copies of these are also placed in the House library.
	Figures for outturn expenditure for financial year 2012-13 have not yet been finalised or audited and therefore not yet available.
	The overall cost per prison place has fallen under this Government from £42,914 in 2007-08 to £37,648 in 2011-12. The Government intend to continue to drive down these costs through its strategy of replacing old, uneconomic prisons with new, cost-effective ones.

Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours on average each prisoner spent per week (a) in a cell and (b) on purposeful activity in (i) each prison, (ii) each category of prison and (iii) the entire prison estate in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: Information on purposeful activity in each prison, category of prison and for the entire estate is published annually in the Prison Performance Digest. The latest data cover the period to 2011-12 and can be found at the following location:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/163299/prison-performance-digest-2011-12.xls.xls
	Average time in cell is measured per week day and this information is provided in Tables 1 and 2 as follows by individual prison establishment and by prison category.
	The figures for time in cell are derived from information collected on the average hours per weekday that prisoners are unlocked. By subtracting the average hours unlocked from the 24 hours in a day it is possible to estimate hours spent locked in cell. It should be noted that time in cell includes hours when prisoners are asleep. Time unlocked includes time where a prisoner is either out of their cell or where the cell door is unlocked allowing them to move freely in and out of the cell.
	Purposeful activity and time unlocked were two of the NOMS performance indicators of safety and decency in prisons up to 2011-12. The indicators were discontinued at the start of 2012-13.
	Figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Table 1: Time in cell by prison establishment: average hours per prisoner per week day 
			 Establishment name 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Acklington 13.4 16.1 15.7 15.5 — 
			 Albany 14.1 13.9 14.8 — — 
			 Altcourse 10.9 11.1 11.9 11.1 12.6 
			 Ashfield 13.9 14.4 13.9 14.0 14.1 
			 Ashwell 8.5 8.9 14.0 14.5 — 
			 Askham Grange 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 
			 Aylesbury 15.8 17.0 16.8 16.8 16.6 
			 Bedford 15.4 15.3 14.7 14.3 14.4 
			 Belmarsh 15.6 16.3 16.2 15.9 24.0 
			 Birmingham 14.7 17.3 17.2 16.2 16.1 
			 Blantyre House 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 
			 Blundeston 13.9 13.5 12.3 14.0 12.4 
			 Brinsford 15.4 15.5 15.5 14.1 24.0 
			 Bristol 15.6 16.0 15.1 15.1 15.7 
			 Brixton 16.9 17.3 17.7 17.4 17.4 
			 Bronzefield 12.5 13.5 14.4 14.1 14.1 
			 Buckley Hall 11.2 14.9 15.5 15.2 15.4 
			 Bullingdon 16.1 15.6 15.8 16.1 15.6 
			 Bullwood Hall 10.9 10.6 10.2 10.3 10.1 
			 Camp Hill 14.4 14.7 14.7 — — 
			 Canterbury 14.8 12.8 13.8 13.7 13.3 
			 Cardiff 15.9 15.9 15.9 15.9 16.7 
			 Castington 15.4 15.4 16.0 16.6 — 
			 Channings Wood 14.8 14.6 15.1 15.3 15.4 
			 Chelmsford 15.9 16.4 15.8 14.7 14.4 
			 Coldingley 13.5 14.3 14.9 14.4 14.6 
			 Cookham Wood 15.8 13.6 13.2 15.2 14.3 
			 Dartmoor 13.9 10.7 12.9 13.6 13.4 
			 Deerbolt 17.1 17.0 17.5 17.5 17.2 
			 Doncaster 12.9 13.7 14.5 13.4 11.6 
			 Dorchester 17.0 16.4 18.4 18.2 18.5 
			 Dovegate 13.1 14.0 14.5 14.8 14.3 
			 Dover 11.7 11.9 11.5 11.4 11.4 
			 Downview 12.9 15.4 14.7 13.8 14.2 
			 Drake Hall 7.6 6.3 5.4 5.3 6.5 
			 Durham 15.5 16.4 16.8 16.1 16.2 
			 East Sutton Park 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 
			 Eastwood Park 12.4 11.4 11.6 13.1 15.0 
			 Edmunds Hill 10.6 10.4 10.8 10.2 — 
			 Elmley 16.6 15.4 16.1 — — 
			 Erlestoke 12.9 14.6 14.6 14.3 14.4 
			 Everthorpe 15.1 16.0 16.1 16.7 16.7 
			 Exeter 16.0 14.8 14.7 16.2 15.9 
			 Featherstone 13.7 13.3 13.1 13.1 14.5 
			 Feltham 14.0 14.7 15.3 16.3 17.1 
			 Ford 11.4 11.7 11.7 11.5 11.5 
			 Forest Bank 13.5 13.5 13.5 13.7 13.7 
			 Foston Hall 13.7 12.6 13.2 12.5 14.5 
			 Frankland 14.7 15.9 15.1 15.1 14.9 
			 Full Sutton 14.5 15.1 15.2 15.1 15.0 
			 Garth 14.0 14.9 15.3 15.1 15.3 
			 Gartree 14.0 15.6 15.4 15.2 15.5 
			 Glen Parva 13.7 15.7 16.6 16.4 17.0 
			 Gloucester 15.4 15.6 15.5 15.6 16.1 
			 Grendon 10.5 9.9 10.2 10.3 10.3 
			 Guys Marsh 13.8 13.1 13.6 13.6 13.7 
			 Haslar 12.0 12.0 12.0 12.0 12.0 
			 Haverigg 12.8 13.4 9.6 9.2 9.7 
			 Hewell 24.0 12.7 13.2 13.3 13.0 
			 High Down 17.6 16.3 16.5 16.2 16.5 
			 Highpoint 13.5 13.5 14.0 14.5 13.3 
			 Hindley 14.5 14.8 14.8 13.9 13.7 
			 Hollesley Bay 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Holloway 14.5 13.8 14.6 15.0 15.0 
			 Holme House 16.6 16.8 16.8 16.1 15.4 
			 Hull 14.7 15.0 15.4 16.0 16.1 
			 Huntercombe 15.4 15.6 14.1 13.5 14.1 
			 Isis — — — — 17.4 
			 Isle of Wight — — — 14.8 14.5 
			 Kennet 14.2 15.4 14.1 13.8 13.7 
			 Kingston 13.2 14.0 14.3 14.0 14.3 
			 Kirkham 10.2 9.8 9.3 9.2 9.2 
			 Kirklevington 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 
			 Lancaster 13.9 15.6 15.0 14.9 — 
			 Lancaster Farms 13.8 17.8 16.6 16.3 16.4 
			 Latchmere House 4.5 4.8 5.0 0.0 1.9 
			 Leeds 14.9 16.6 16.9 16.2 13.8 
			 Leicester 14.0 17.5 17.4 16.5 16.1 
			 Lewes 17.0 17.2 16.3 15.3 15.0 
			 Leyhill 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 
			 Lincoln 14.3 17.0 16.7 17.0 16.2 
			 Lindholme 13.5 15.0 15.2 15.7 15.9 
			 Littlehey 13.8 15.5 15.3 16.3 15.1 
			 Liverpool 16.4 16.4 16.3 15.7 15.8 
			 Long Lartin 14.8 15.8 13.9 14.7 15.7 
			 Low Newton 13.4 14.7 13.9 13.4 13.5 
			 Lowdham Grange 11.4 12.0 12.6 13.2 12.9 
			 Maidstone 14.7 14.5 14.9 15.2 15.0 
			 Manchester 14.0 13.7 14.0 13.8 13.4 
			 Moorland 11.2 12.8 13.4 12.7 11.8 
			 Morton Hall 9.0 10.2 10.5 10.4 24.0 
			 Mount 13.2 13.2 13.2 13.1 13.0 
			 New Hall 13.8 14.1 14.5 14.8 15.7 
			 North Sea Camp 8.5 8.5 7.2 6.5 6.5 
			 Northallerton 15.0 16.2 16.5 15.7 15.0 
			 Northumberland — — — — 15.6 
			 Norwich 13.9 15.8 16.4 15.2 15.8 
			 Nottingham 15.9 17.0 16.9 16.2 16.2 
			 Onley 15.4 15.3 15.5 14.8 14.4 
			 Parc 14.1 14.7 14.8 14.6 14.9 
			 Parkhurst 16.0 15.8 16.4 — — 
			 Pentonville 17.7 17.2 16.7 16.3 16.6 
			 Peterborough — — 14.0 14.7 14.8 
			 Portland 15.4 16.0 15.4 15.1 15.4 
			 Preston 14.2 17.4 16.1 15.7 15.7 
			 Ranby 13.1 15.1 14.4 14.3 14.6 
			 Reading 15.8 15.4 16.5 15.1 14.4 
			 Risley 13.5 14.9 15.5 15.0 15.0 
			 Rochester 15.0 15.4 15.1 14.3 14.0 
			 Rye Hill 12.6 12.9 13.4 14.8 14.3 
			 Send 11.3 12.7 12.8 12.1 12.1 
			 Sheppey Cluster — — — 15.0 15.2 
			 Shepton Mallet 13.8 14.6 14.6 14.6 14.5 
			 Shrewsbury 14.4 16.8 15.7 15.4 15.4 
			 Stafford 13.4 16.3 16.6 16.6 16.4 
			 Standford Hill 7.5 10.5 10.5 — — 
			 Stocken 13.2 16.3 16.3 16.1 16.5 
			 Stoke Heath 15.6 15.4 15.8 16.2 15.5 
			 Styal 8.2 11.7 12.4 10.5 11.5 
			 Sudbury 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 5.0 
			 Swaleside 16.2 15.9 15.7 — — 
			 Swansea 15.0 14.5 15.7 15.5 15.4 
			 Swinfen Hall 13.6 16.2 16.1 16.2 17.8 
			 Thorn Cross 11.5 11.5 9.9 9.0 10.2 
			 Usk\Prescoed 10.1 12.3 12.1 11.6 11.4 
			 Verne 8.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 9.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Wakefield 14.9 15.1 15.0 14.9 14.8 
			 Wandsworth 16.5 15.9 16.7 17.4 16.7 
			 Warren Hill 13.4 14.0 13.7 14.6 15.2 
			 Wayland 12.7 13.0 12.5 12.6 11.7 
			 Wealstun 12.5 15.8 15.7 16.5 15.7 
			 Wellingborough 14.0 15.1 15.4 14.2 15.0 
			 Werrington 13.7 13.7 13.5 14.3 14.8 
			 Wetherby 13.6 13.2 13.6 14.2 14.4 
			 Whatton 13.6 14.0 14.1 14.2 13.6 
			 Whitemoor 15.7 16.2 16.1 15.5 15.2 
			 Winchester 14.9 15.3 14.6 15.0 16.5 
			 Wolds 11.7 12.5 14.6 12.1 12.0 
			 Woodhill 15.0 13.4 14.7 15.0 14.5 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 15.1 15.8 16.1 16.8 16.9 
			 Wymott 13.4 15.2 15.4 15.5 15.5 
			 National Total 13.8 14.4 14.6 14.5 14.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Time in cell by prison category: average hours per prisoner per week day 
			 Category 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Category B 13.6 14 14.4 14.1 13.9 
			 Category C 13.1 14 14.2 14.2 14.1 
			 Dispersal 14.9 15.5 15 15 15.1 
			 Female closed 12.7 13.8 13.7 12.8 13.6 
			 Female local 12.4 13.2 13.6 13.5 14.1 
			 Female open 7.5 7.5 7.6 7.6 7.6 
			 Male closed young offender 14.9 15.8 16 15.8 16.2 
			 Male juvenile 14.2 14.2 13.7 14.3 14.4 
			 Male local 15.2 15.6 15.7 15.5 15.4 
			 Male open 7.9 8.8 8.6 8.1 8.1 
			 Male open young offender 11.5 11.5 9.9 9 10.2 
			 Semi open 8.2 8.3 8.1 6 6.2 
			 Cluster — 12.7 13.2 14.5 14.5 
			 National Total 13.8 14.4 14.6 14.5 14.5 
			 Note: In the above table prisons are categorised according to their predominant function, though some establishments will have more than one function.

Prisons: Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many jobs are available for prisoners in each prison in the UK;
	(2)  what the participation rate is of prisoners in prison work schemes.

Jeremy Wright: The number of prisoners working in industrial activity in public sector prisons increased from around 8,600 in 2010-11 to around 9,000 in 2011-12.
	These figures do not include the substantial numbers of prisoners who work within prisons on tasks such as cooking, serving meals, maintenance and cleaning.
	Figures are published in the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/163292/noms-annual-report-2011-12-addendum.pdf.pdf
	Data have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the level of detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.

Prisons: Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1314W, on prisoners: pay, if he will estimate the (a) cost and (b) benefit to the public purse of employing prisoners instead of procuring services privately;
	(2)  how many unskilled jobs in prisons are contracted out to private companies; and what the annual cost to the public purse is of procuring unskilled labour in prisons.

Jeremy Wright: Substantial numbers of prisoners work on essential support tasks in prisons such as cooking, serving meals; grounds maintenance and cleaning. This provides significant work for prisoners and creates economic benefits to the public purse.
	Data are not held on the value of prisoner input to the delivery of particular services or the number of prisoners specifically involved in work that could otherwise be outsourced. The Department does not hold data concerning unskilled jobs in prisons.
	Where contracting out services is considered, maintaining prisoner input is an important factor to be taken into account—this could include prisoners working on behalf of a contractor.

Probation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 952-4W, on probation, how many offenders who failed to complete an accredited programme were subsequently (a) placed on an alternative programme, (b) ordered to retake the programme and (c) did not have to undertake any further accredited programmes.

Jeremy Wright: It is not possible to answer this question in relation to the information provided in the answer of 25 March 2013. This is because the figures provided in the earlier answer were based on completions of the overall programme requirement and not instances of course attendance.
	The information provided earlier was based on aggregated completion rates for sex offender treatment programmes, domestic violence programmes and other offending behaviour programmes for each reporting year. These completion rates are calculated using a cohort method which tracks the outcome of individuals at either 12, 18, 30 or 36 months after commencement, depending on programme type, and measures the proportion that completed. Failure to complete in this measure is defined as termination of the programme requirement either during or at the end of the order or licence. Both completers and non-completers included within the original answer may have dropped out of one or more courses and gone on to complete on another course, been placed on an alternative programme or failed to complete a further course. This level of information cannot be derived from the completion rate data.

Training

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible enrolled in publicly-funded training courses in each of the last five years; what the total cost has been of such courses; and what the monetary value was of the 10 highest training course fees in each such year.

Helen Grant: Budgets for training and education are devolved and are managed locally by the Ministry's different business groups, agencies and non-departmental public bodies. The Ministry does not record this information centrally. Therefore to establish the numbers of staff who have enrolled in publicly-funded training courses and any costs would require a Ministry-wide survey of all its local business areas and non-departmental public bodies. This would incur a disproportionate cost.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Absenteeism

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the policy of his Department is on promoting physical activity as a strategy for reducing workplace absenteeism.

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no locus to promote physical activity in employees in general.
	The Government recognise the important role of well-being in the workplace in creating an environment where businesses and individuals can thrive and grow.
	Health, Work and Well-being is an important cross-Government agenda, in which BIS is involved and works closely with a number of other Departments.
	The Government support a number of initiatives which impact on well-being such as the Every Business Commits framework, which was launched by the Prime Minister in December 2010 that has a specific strand focusing on improving quality of life and wellbeing for employees.
	In addition Government also commissioned the independent review of sickness absence undertaken by Dame Carol Black and David Frost CBE. Their report “Health at Work” was published in November 2011.
	Officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are now working closely with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and others to implement measures aimed at reducing sickness absence in the workplace as set out in the Government's response to the Review (“Fitness for Work”) as published in January 2013.

Apprentices: Kent

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships commenced in each sector in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency, local education authority and sector subject area are published in a supplementary table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR).
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/65659B53-3E92-4E0E-AB62-E106C41B5277/0/Mar2012_Apprenticeships_SSA_Geography_Starts.xls
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/

Copyright: EU Law

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the reopening of Directive 2001/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 2001 on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society.

Jo Swinson: Any decision to review the directive is a matter for the European Commission, which have already outlined several areas of work on copyright, including a review of directive 2001/29/EC as provided for in the directive itself. The Government believe that the time is right for such a review to take place, in order to consider the copyright issues that have stemmed from technological change.
	The Government want to engage with interested parties on this issue and the Intellectual Property Office will be approaching stakeholders to help flesh out Government thinking so that the UK can develop a clear position and respond if any proposals are tabled.

Departmental Responsibilities

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for how many days each week the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise is based at (a) his Department and (b) the Department of Energy and Climate Change; and how many members of staff are employed in the Minister's office at each department.

Michael Fallon: Most days I work in both Departments. Across the two I have a number of portfolio areas, but common to them all are removing barriers to growth, encouraging investment, and accelerating enterprise.
	There are 4.0 FTE in my office in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and 3.5 FTE employed in my office at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Exports: South East Asia

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 594W, on exports: South East Asia, if he will publish an evaluation of the Headstart initiative six month pilot; and if he will place a copy of this evaluation in the Library.

Michael Fallon: The Headstart pilot, intended for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) new to the market, provides access to office space and locally-established UK expertise in three South East Asian markets: Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The scheme is offered by the local British Chambers of Commerce in association with UK Trade & Investment and the UK-ASEAN Business Council.
	Following completion of the pilot, UK Trade & Investment has evaluated the outcome, identifying action for development of the initiative. This work will be taken forward as part of the wider Overseas Business Networks initiative announced by the Prime Minister on 12 November 2012, which aims radically to enhance the business-to-business support to UK SMEs in 20 pilot markets over the next 3-5 years.
	A copy of this evaluation of the pilot will be placed in the Library.

Gangmasters

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 381W, on gangmasters, and with reference to the written statement by the Minister of State for Business and Enterprise of 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 43WS, on Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008, whether any orders have been made under that Act which are exceptions to the general rule, as set out in that statement, that powers to impose fixed monetary penalties, variable monetary penalties and restoration notices will only be granted where their use is restricted to undertakings with more than 250 employees.

Michael Fallon: No orders have been made under Part 3 of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 since the written ministerial statement was made on 8 November 2012.
	In 2010, one such order gave the Environment Agency and Natural England powers to impose sanctions in England. The Environmental Civil Sanctions (England) Order 2010 (2010/NO.1157) was made on 26 March 2010 and came into force on 6 April 2010.
	Welsh Ministers made an order that gave the Environment Agency similar powers in Wales. The Environmental Civil Sanctions (Wales) Order 2010 (2010/No.1821) was made on 14 July 2010 and came into force on 15 July 2010. These powers have now been transferred to the new Natural Resources Body for Wales, which has taken over the Welsh devolved responsibilities of the Environment Agency.

Green Investment Bank

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution he expects the Green Investment Bank to make to green growth.

Michael Fallon: The role of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) is to help overcome limits to the availability of finance to UK green infrastructure projects, demonstrating that such investment can deliver strong commercial returns and helping to mobilise the additional private sector capital required for the transition to a more green economy. To date it has contractually committed £635 million of its £3 billion funding, bringing alongside £1.8 billion of private sector investment that would not have been invested at all, or as quickly, without GIB's involvement.

Green Investment Bank

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution he expects the Green Investment Bank to make to green growth.

Michael Fallon: The role of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) is to help overcome limits to the availability of finance to UK green infrastructure projects, demonstrating that such investment can deliver strong commercial returns and helping to mobilise the additional private sector capital required for the transition to a more green economy. To date it has contractually committed £635 million of its £3 billion funding, bringing alongside £1.8 billion of private sector investment that would not have been invested at all, or as quickly, without GIB's involvement.

Higher Education: Staffordshire

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many people in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire applied to study at (i) the universities of Oxford or Cambridge and (ii) all Russell Group universities in each of the last 10 admission cycles;
	(2)  how many people in Cannock Chase constituency (a) applied for and (b) were accepted for a university place in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The information for these time periods and for this level of detail is not available centrally. Data on applications and acceptances are collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) but they do not routinely publish figures at this level of detail. UCAS is an organisation independent from Government.

Minimum Wage

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce non-compliance with the national minimum wage.

Jo Swinson: The Government are committed to the national minimum wage and its effective enforcement. We are absolutely clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it and we are working hard to ensure that we reduce non-compliance across the piece.
	In 2010, we agreed a five year compliance strategy with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). We are taking a multi-faceted approach that includes targeted communications to raise awareness and help employers to comply, as well as targeted enforcement action with civil and criminal proceedings reserved for the most serious cases.
	A key aspect of our strategy is that HMRC investigates every complaint made through the free and confidential Pay and Work Rights Helpline. In addition, HMRC conducts risk-based enforcement in sectors or areas, such as apprenticeships, where there is a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage.
	This work is producing results: in 2012/13 HMRC identified £3.9 million in arrears of wages for 26,519 workers. This represents a 33% increase in the number of workers that HMRC were able to help in 2012/13 and a 26% increase in arrears identified compared to 2009/10.

Sign Language

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users.

Matthew Hancock: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I provided to the right hon. Member for Gordon (Sir Malcolm Bruce) on 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 85W.

Students: Part-time Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the full-time equivalent of HEFCE-fundable part-time students, by parliamentary constituency in which those students have their home address, in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Information on the number of UK domiciled HEFCE-fundable part-time students, by parliamentary constituency at English HEIs for the academic year 2011/12 will be placed in the Libraries of the House. The data have been broken down by level of study.
	Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
	Please note that these figures do not include HEFCE-fundable part-time students who were registered at FECs as finalised 2011-12 data are not yet available to robustly identify this population at an individual level. We estimate that there were in excess of 10,000 part-time full-time equivalent students at FECs in 2011/12.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how the new education advisory group of UK Trade and Investment plans to interact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ensure that embassies understand the value of UK education exports in emerging markets;
	(2)  how the education advisory group of UK Trade and Investment works with education-focused private sector and charitable organisations to promote UK education exports abroad;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that UK Trade and Investment's new education advisory group will take a comprehensive view of UK education exports that goes wider than solely increasing the number of international students in UK-based universities;
	(4)  how UK Trade and Investment's new education advisory group is being recruited;
	(5)  what the remit will be of UK Trade and Investment's new education advisory group;
	(6)  what the timetable is for the recruitment of the new UK Trade and Investment education advisory group.

David Willetts: BIS and UKTI have jointly established an Education UK Unit that will identify high-value export opportunities and support UK providers to respond effectively, fostering the development of UK consortia and helping them to prepare and promote bids. It will act as a ‘one-stop-shop' for overseas Governments or large companies wanting to engage UK partners in their large-scale education projects.
	The new unit forms part of the Government's industrial strategy for the education sector. We have long recognised the value of international education partnerships to the UK and already provide considerable in-country support to British companies and educational institutions working alone or in small groups through UKTI, DFID, FCO and the British Council. But there is a clear trend towards countries requiring support with large-scale education projects that require a co-ordinated effort from multiple providers.
	The remit of the new unit will be to identify suitable opportunities and support UK organisations to win large-scale commercial contracts across a wide range of education-related products and services, from schools, colleges, universities and private providers, to teaching, equipment, architecture—though higher education and vocational and technical skills. The unit will co-ordinate a joined-up UK response to make the most of these opportunities and the UK. The work of the unit will be driven by the opportunities that emerge and our response will be tailored to the needs of each project. The new unit will be staffed by a combination of existing civil servants and secondments from external organisations with an interest in education exports such as the British Council. Staff are currently being recruited to expand the small team that have piloted the approach since July 2012. The managing director of the unit is being recruited through open external competition. The new team will build to full capacity by autumn 2013.
	The Education UK Unit already works closely with relevant staff in embassies overseas, including those in emerging markets, many of whom have already been engaged in supporting UK firms in the education sector to export to and operate in their markets.
	The unit engages, often through representative and membership organisations, with a wide range of public, private and charitable organisations that have the potential to export their educational expertise or products. Although the unit will facilitate the formation of consortia, the organisations involved will determine membership and contractual arrangements.